Bain’s Vittorio Massone a no-show at Sars inquiry

Consulting agency Bain and Company’s managing partner Vittorio Massone was a no-show at the commission of inquiry into tax administration and governance by South African Revenue Service (Sars).

Massone’s legal representative appeared before the commission – chaired by retired justice Robert Nugent – on his behalf. The representative explained that Massone had relocated to outside the country and would have to travel to South Africa to testify at the commission, adding that Massone was unwell, unfit, and undergoing treatment at the moment.

Nugent said he had not excused Massone and that Bain was placing itself in a dangerous position by not being represented at the commission.

Massone’s legal representative, however, said his client was willing to respond to the commission through emails and written responses since he could not physically appear before the commission.

The company was represented by Stuart Min, however, because Massone could not testify today.

Watch the proceedings here:

During his previous testimony, Massone revealed that he met suspended Sars commissioner Tom Moyane to discuss the institution a year before he became commissioner.

Vittorio Massone said meeting Moyane before he was appointed as commissioner was not unusual because he believed Moyane had ambitions to be head of Sars.

After receiving a call from Moyane, Massone explained, they met and spent a couple of days putting a document together.

Massone said he gave Moyane a positive point of view which he collected on the press, websites, and publicly available data. He said he wasn’t paid for his work.

Bain’s model has come under fire for fracturing pivotal units including the ability to measure compliance and the capability to deal with illicit financial flows and high profile investigations.

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