Former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste given 10 days to appear before Parliament
Four parliamentary committees on Wednesday resolved to give former Steinhoff chief executive Markus Jooste and former chief financial officer Ben la Grange 10 days to indicate if they’ll appear before MPs or face being issued with subpoenas.
Both men failed to appear before Parliament’s standing committee on finance, its standing committee on public accounts, its portfolio committee on trade and industry and its portfolio committee on public service and administration.
Jooste, in a letter from his lawyers to Parliament, said his appearance in Parliament could undermine his right to a fair trial.
SCOF chairman Yunus Carrim said the matter might very well end up in court, as it involves the question of whether a person’s right to a fair trial transcends the right of Parliament to call them.
“We should take it to court anyway, then it would provide us some legal clarity,” said Carrim.
Jooste was supposed to appear before the committees to explain his role in the Steinhoff accounting scandal.
The accounting scandal crashed the Stellenbosch-based furniture and household goods retailer’s share price late last year, leading to billions of rand lost of South African pensioners’ monies. Jooste promptly resigned.
