Hawks open docket on tax agency spy claims

19 May 2015 - 15:00 By RDM News Wire

Investigations are under way into the actions of the South African Revenue Service following affidavits‚ reportedly by two members of the tax authority’s disgraced rogue unit‚ implicating agency personnel in the illegal bugging of the National Prosecuting Authority offices. “The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations would like to confirm that we have received affidavits from two individuals who are implicated in the SARS spying scandal which was widely reported on weekend newspapers‚” the Hawks said in a statement issued today.“A docket has also been opened and the investigations into the matter are under way.”The brief statement attributed to Acting Head of the Hawks Major General Mthandazo Ntlemeza said no further comment would be made "until such time that progress which might be of public knowledge is attained".“We need time to assess the case and involve other relevant stakeholders to successfully investigate (the) issue at hand‚” said Ntlemeza.The Sunday Times reported at the weekend that an illegal operation was allegedly authorised by a senior SARS official in 2007‚ code-named Project Sunday Evenings‚ to spy on former prosecutions boss Vusi Pikoli and other senior NPA members who were investigating former police commissioner Jackie Selebi...

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