In a moment of puffed-up self-importance, the man declared: "The days of disrespecting the National Prosecuting Authority are over." With his next breath he announced the now infamous decision to bring trumped-up charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and two underlings for alleged breach of labour regulations.The days of disrespecting the NPA were just beginning.The agency has been involved in some questionable activity during the presidency of Jacob Zuma, but whatever abiding regard a few optimistic citizens might have had for this important organ of state vanished the moment NPA boss Shaun Abrahams made his mad pronouncement.If it hadn't been so tragic, so dangerous, it might have been farcically funny.The case was paper-thin and clearly a ploy to unsettle and smear Gordhan at a difficult time for him and the country.But Gordhan showed no sign of caving in to the bullying tactics clearly being applied in order to prise from him the keys to the Treasury.Eventually, Abrahams was the one to cave in, scotching the charges and, outrageously, even attempting to take credit for doing the right thing. He knew his reputation was about to be eviscerated in the court room. Ironically, and pathetically, it was anyway in his climb-down.If Abrahams is so worried about public respect for the NPA, there is a clear course of action open to him - reinstate the 700-odd charges of corruption against the president. A recent High Court ruling makes this possible. Essential, actually.But Abrahams had better move fast. Plenty of people are calling for his head and one wouldn't put it past Zuma to take up the suggestion. Zuma might see firing the prosecutions boss as putting him on the right side of the furore. And, of course, it gives him the chance to put in place someone who'll be in no hurry to take the righteous route to polishing the NPA's reputation.Go on Shaun, you know you want to...