Absa ‘politely declined’ meeting with Gupta faction

On Thursday‚ Absa became the latest bank to file an answering affidavit to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s application.

Absa CE Maria Ramos “politely declined” a request to meet with the cabinet’s inter-ministerial committee as well with representatives of Oakbay after the bank closed the accounts of the Gupta-associated companies in February.

However‚ Ramos did meet with representatives of the ANC national executive committee over the regulatory and legal issues involved but refused to discuss any of the details pertaining to the closure of the Oakbay accounts.

On Thursday‚ Absa became the latest bank to file an answering affidavit in the application by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan the High Court in Pretoria for a declaratory order confirming that he is not permitted to interfere in the decisions of banks concerning their client relationships.

Gordhan’s application stems from sustained pressure he has been under for the past year both from cabinet colleagues and Oakbay representatives that he intervene following the action by all four major banks to close the company’s accounts.

“There was … evidence of large unexplained transfers of funds between the Oakbay companies and related parties and other banks‚” states the Absa affidavit.

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