Tax official Ivan Pillay has been handed a suspension notice, a day after he won a court bid on Thursday to be reinstated.
Pillay faces a string of allegations, including that he:
Established, recommended or was instrumental in setting up a covert intelligence unit within SARS;
Knew the secret unit was unconstitutional and infringed on the powers of state intelligence agencies;
Acted against former finance minister Trevor Manuel’s directive that the unit be created in the National Intelligence Agency and not SARS;
Obtained, or was instrumental in obtaining, apparent ministerial authorisation for the conduct of the unlawful operations;
Authorised expenditure and recruitment of personnel for the operations in violation of internal policies;
Brought SARS into disrepute and committed gross dereliction of duty by authorising, or failing to prevent, rogue behaviour by those employed to conduct unlawful operations;
Unlawfully and/or fraudulently contrived his early retirement for financial gain in 2010 in “collusion” with former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, despite having the intention to continue his employment with SARS;
Incurred wasteful and fruitless expenditure by authorising the provision of legal fees for embattled investigations head Johann van Loggerenberg in a matter from which SARS did not derive direct benefit; and
Recommended paying a settlement of more than R3-million to former rogue unit head “Skollie” in March 2008, which amounted to wasteful and fruitless expenditure.
Pillay declined to comment.