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While fighting corruption remains the top priority for the NPA, the national director of public prosecution is concerned about possible budget cuts.
FILE: NDPP Shamila Batohi at Union Buildings in Pretoria on December 4, 2018. Image: EWN
JOHANNESBURG – The head of the National Tax Authority (NPA), Shamila Batohi, said on Wednesday that the days of impunity for those who break the law are numbered. But he cautioned that any cuts to the NPA’s budget could roll back any gains it has made.
On Wednesday, the NPA briefed Parliament’s justice committee on its performance. The briefing came in the wake of high-profile arrests and asset seizures linked to a number of fraud and corruption cases.
The National Director of Public Processes, Batohi, said that the action taken so far has been like a drop in the ocean: “The wheels of justice are turning, it has been slow. But let’s be honest and frank: this is a tiny, tiny point on a huge iceberg. “
Batohi said the NPA and the Hawks were targeting 87 cases. Since April, 26 of these cases have been registered in court.
“In the past, these cases may have never seen the inside of a courtroom and the fact that these cases are now beginning to reach the courts shows that things are changing and the days of impunity are certainly limited ”.
But Batohi was concerned that the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic would cause his budget to shrink by as much as R1.1 billion, virtually canceling the R1.3 billion cash injection the NPA received last year. .
Batohi said that fighting corruption was a priority.
“But what is required is a large investment and commitment from the government as well.”
Meanwhile, anti-corruption expert Dr. Benni Lekubu said the government needed to make drastic efforts to support the NPA and other anti-corruption units, including the Hawks.
Lekubu said the government needed to equip organizations with more resources.
“The government has clearly come out to say, ‘We are going to support the anti-corruption agencies that exist.’ It is up to the government to speak out now about that commitment and make sure they train the NPA and the Hawks, ”he said.
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