Johannesburg – Athol Williams who blew the lid on the corrupt relationship between consulting firm Bain & Co and the South African Revenue Services (Sars) has received a glowing tribute from Justice Raymond Zondo to standing firm against corruption.
It is some solace for Williams who in November fled the country over fears for his life.
Williams who was a partner at Bain detailed before Zondo the corrupt relationship that emerged between the company and the taxman.
Williams has said one of the reasons behind fleeing his home country was the assassination of another whistle-bower, Babita Deokaran in August.
Deokaran, a senior finance official in the health department of Gauteng province, was shot several times outside her home in Johannesburg.
Zondo in the first part of his report, commended Williams for his stance to expose corruption.
“Although the Commission wishes to thank all the witnesses who testified before it in regard to SARS, it particularly wishes to express its appreciation to Mr Williams for the evidence he gathered and placed before the Commission which revealed much about the interactions between Bain & Co and Mr Moyane and Bain & Co and President Zuma with regard to the plans for, and the execution of, the capture of SARS,” the report reads in part.
The report further said: “He (Williams) rejected numerous attempts from Bain & Co to give him large sums of money in return for his silence. The Commission highly appreciates his assistance.”
Bain was employed by former Sars Commissioner Tom Moyane to establish a restructuring model of the Revenue Service Division at a cost of R164 million.
The company has been fingered by Williams and other witnesses who testified before the Nugent Commission of being central in the dismantling of Sars.
Judge Robert Nugent who chaired the inquiry into tax administration was scathing into the conduct of Bain over the work it did for Sars. He said in the report released on Friday that Moyane’s interest was to take control of Sars, while Bain was only interested in making money at the expense of the revenue service.
“We think that what occurred can be fairly described as a premeditated offensive against Sars, strategised by the local office of Bain & Company Inc, located in Boston, for Mr Moyane to seize Sars, each in pursuit of their own interests that were symbiotic, but not altogether the same,” Nugent said.
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