South Africa: Prosecutors drop charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan

South African prosecutors have withdrawn fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, marking a significant victory in his tug of war with President Jacob Zuma over control of the Treasury.

The turnaround came just 2 days before Gordhan was due to appear in court, an event that opposition groups and others said they planned to mark with a large demonstration outside the courthouse.
While the announcement that Gordhan will not be prosecuted defused some tension, it failed to appease critics who allege President Jacob Zuma is presiding over a government increasingly tainted by corruption and political interference in state agencies.

A sense of unease in South Africa has also been building because of university student protests for free education – which has forced the temporary closure of campuses nationwide. Unrest was reported Monday at the University of Pretoria, but universities have been adjusting schedules and exam timetables in order to enable students to complate the academic year.

Gordhan, who announced increased funding for universities in a recent budget speech, was accused of illegally approving an early retirement package for a former tax official who continued to work on contract. The charges alarmed South Africans who view Gordhan as a responsible steward of a weak economy facing possible credit rating downgrades. Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was among high-ranking officials in the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party who expressed their support for the finance minister.

In dropping the charges, Shaun Abrahams, director of the National Prosecuting Authority said he had concluded that Gordhan “did not have the requisite intention to act unlawfully.”

Abrahams has said the earlier move against Gordhan was not politically motivated. But the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, alleged it reflected infighting among government factions that are using state institutions to settle political scores, and it said Abrahams should resign.

Zuma is enmeshed in a separate inquiry into whether the Guptas – a business family with close ties to the president – sought to influence the selection of some Cabinet picks. Zuma has denied those allegations.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press