Communications minister Faith Muthambi is one of the government officials that participated in a meeting to determine why local banks ceased to do business with Gupta-owned company, Oakbay.
Business Day reported that Muthambi was part of the inter-ministerial committee delegation that met with Nedbank CE Mike Brown to discuss the closure of Gupta bank accounts.
The government committee was established after four of SA's major banks cut ties with the Gupta-family accounts amid allegations of the family's undue influence on president Jacob Zuma to secure business favours.
The newspaper notes Muthambi was not appointed to the committee by the Cabinet.
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan was appointed to lead the committee; however, he refused to participate. The minister applied for a declaratory order with the High Court in Pretoria to prevent ministers from intervening in bank and client business.
According to the newspaper, Brown supports Gordhan's application, noting no government official has the power to intervene when a bank chooses to terminate business with a client.
"Government has no competence in law to interrogate why a bank terminated its relationship with a client in general, or to inquire whether a bank has terminated its relationship with a client to give effect to anti-money-laundering legislation and anti-bribery and corruption legislation in particular," Business Day quoted Brown's affidavit.
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