Finance Minister Trevor Manuel says he has been assured by Absa there will be no individual enrichment in its sponsorship deal with the Premier Soccer League (PSL).
”We have the assurance that Absa would do everything in its power to [ensure] that the money is used as intended, for the advancement of soccer in this country,” he said at a press conference in Sandton on Friday.
”We have been able to resolve the matter to mutual satisfaction,” he said.
He did not want Absa to suffer any damage.
Absa chairperson Gill Marcus said: ”At no point in time was any commission offered or given to the PSL. There is no substance to the allegation that Absa had agreed to pay anything in terms of this 10% that would go to administrators.”
Absa CEO Steve Booysen said he believed the bank had done nothing wrong and had acted in a sound way in terms of governance.
Manuel said he wrote to Booysen last Thursday congratulating him for getting the PSL sponsorship, but also expressed concern about a story accompanying it.
This was that elected officials would get a 10% commission on the R500-million deal.
It was an open letter which he gave to English and Afrikaans media.
He expressed the view that if a government official had done that, it would be highly corrupt.
He did not believe he had exercised bad judgement and had raised the issue as the person who licensed banks, which managed deposits.
Manuel and Absa officials met on Thursday night to discuss the matter.
Manuel was accompanied at the press conference by his deputy, Jabu Moleketi. — Sapa