The charges and summons issued against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan were a “pretext to have him removed from office”, the South African Communist Party (SACP) said on Tuesday.

It was part of a bid to weaken the National Treasury’s struggle against corruption and corporate capture of government, which Gordhan was leading, the SACP said in a statement.

On Tuesday, National Prosecuting Authority head Shaun Abrahams announced Gordhan would face a charge of fraud. This related to his former deputy at SARS, Ivan Pillay’s early retirement package and the extension of his contract.

Gordhan was expected to appear in the Pretoria Regional Court on November 2.

The SACP said no one was above the law, including Gordhan or the Hawks, but the party was strongly opposed to any “political persecutions”.

Abrahams said there was no political motive to the case.

The SACP questioned the timing of the investigation. While Gordhan was initially assured that he was not a suspect, the matter was suddenly back on the table just after the August 3 local government elections, the SACP said.