African National Congress (ANC) leader Enoch Godongwana contacted FNB two years ago to meet and discuss the closing of Gupta-linked business accounts, the bank's former chief executive Johan Burger told the judicial commission of inquiry into State capture on Tuesday.

Burger's tenure as FNB CEO ended in August. He said he found it unusual to receive a call from the ANC requesting a meeting over clients' bank accounts.

''I received a phone call from Mr Enoch Godongwana to attend a meeting with the secretary general of the ANC [then Gwede Mantashe] at Luthuli House, over the closing of the [Gupta] bank accounts. It was an unexpected call, I did not understand why I was invited to the meeting with the ANC. I informed him I was out of town and would be back in a few days. In my 32 years in the banking industry, it was the first time I received a request from a political party or the inter-ministerial committee to meet and discuss client bank relations.''

A series of SMSes were sent between Burger and Godongwana. Burger said Godongwana then told him he was no longer required to meet with Mantashe, and that was the last time the two communicated.

In 2016, FNB shut down accounts belonging to Sahara Computers, Islandsite, TNA Media and Tegeta, all Gupta entities. Burger said the reputation and banking risk became too high as it continued banking relations with Gupta companies. 

''If one does not comply with the regulatory framework of the country in which one operates, there will be reputation risk associated with non-compliance. There will also be reputation risk if a bank conducts activities regarded by stakeholders as immoral, illegal and unethical. It will suffer reputation risk if its clients are involved." 

Burger said his bank followed the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) act, and reported suspicious Gupta activities as required by law. Reasonable notice was given to the account holders before the accounts were shut down, he said. Then Oakbay CEO Nazeem Howa wrote to FNB requesting reasons for the accounts closures.

''We received written response from Oakbay CEO asking for reasons for the termination of accounts. We provided reasons through a letter, that the decision was due to associated reputation and banking risk. We also responded to Oakbay over their request to access information we submitted to FICA, we told them we are not allowed to provide such information on suspicious transactions to a third party, only to FICA,'' said Burger.

South Africa's leading banks - FNB, Standard Bank, Nedbank and Absa closed the Gupta-linked accounts as a dark cloud gathered over the controversial family and their associates. Absa led the pack by shutting down the family business accounts in December 2015.