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The Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, may now be the subject of a second investigation reportedly being conducted by the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

SARS have reportedly engaged Grant Thornton to conduct a forensic audit of all contracts, relating to the Modernisation and Technology Programme, concluded between 2007 and 2014.

The forensic investigation is reportedly referred to as “Project Lions” within SARS and was probed at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance yesterday in Parliament.

When questioned about the investigation, SARS commissioner Tom Moyane was evasive and simply stated that he would not “comment on current ongoing investigations”.

Surprisingly, all follow-up questions were referred to senior SARS officials who were equally evasive and repeated the line that there would be “no comment on current investigations into individuals or companies”.

What was significant was that SARS commissioner Tom Moyane did not deny that an investigation was being conducted by SARS.

The scope, timeline and cost of the forensic investigations are unknown.

I will, therefore, be submitting written parliamentary questions probing:

• whether SARS commissioner Tom Moyane authorized the investigation;
• the scope, timeline and possible cost of the forensic investigation; and
• whether the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, was informed about the forensic investigation being conducted by SARS.

Issued by DA