South Africa Names New Head of Inquiry Into Ex-Tax Agency Boss

(Bloomberg) -- South African president Cyril Ramaphosa Tuesday named Azhar Bham as the replacement presiding officer of a disciplinary inquiry into the former head of the country’s tax agency.

The decision to replace retired Constitutional Court Judge Kate O’Regan as the presiding officer follows an objection by Tom Moyane regarding the links between O’Regan and Corruption Watch, a non-governmental organization of which she is a board member, Ramaphosa said in statement published on the presidency’s website.

“While the president is certain that Judge O’Regan would have adjudicated the matter objectively and that her position did not present a conflict, he decided that it would nevertheless be important to remove any possible perception of bias,” Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa suspended Moyane as commissioner of the South African Revenue Service in March as part of a shake-up at the agency.

To contact the reporter on this story: Hilton Shone in Johannesburg at hshone@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alastair Reed at areed12@bloomberg.net, Michael Gunn

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