Gordhan is accused of wrongly approving an early retirement package for a senior tax official at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in 2010 before allowing him to be re-employed at the agency on a contract basis.

Gordhan has said in the past that the early retirement of Ivan Pillay was entirely above board.

The Public Protector, an organisation mandated by the constitution to uphold standards in public office, said the investigation had started in 2016 but had now reached a stage where it was ready to conduct interviews.
--Reuters--