Nothing untoward in Gordhan approving Ivan Pillay's retirement, says lawyer

JOHANNESBURG – It remains to be seen whether Pravin Gordhan will make President Cyril Ramaphosa's Cabinet as he prepares to square off with the Public Protector.On Friday, Advocate Busiswe Mkhwebane found Gordhan unlawfully signed off an early retirement payout for former South African Revenue Services Deputy Commissioner Ivan Pillay.An internal IT investigation by the Public Protector's office also found an email sent to Gordhan may have been fraudulently edited and she’s blamed his personal assistant.Gordhan's lawyers have accused Mkhwebane of hastily compiling her report and wrongfully interpreting the law.The minister is in the process of taking the findings against him on review.His lawyer Tebogo Malatji said there was nothing untoward with Pillay’s retirement.“That advice was that 'you can approve, you’ve got the power to do, so you can approve an early retirement with full benefit', which is what this is about really.“And B, 'you can approve an appointment or a person on a six-term contract, pursuant to such retirement'. Nothing untoward again.”
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