OUTA paving the way in public interest litigation

“This is a significant victory for public interest litigation as the judge exercised his constitutional right to develop the common law and allow OUTA to be heard despite OUTA not being named as a party in this AFU case,” said Stefanie Fick, OUTA’s Head of Legal.

In addition, Fick added that yesterday’s court proceedings reaffirm OUTA’s position in South Africa as a civil action group that operates in the best interest of the people.

“What sets OUTA apart is the meticulous manner in which our legal team conduct their business. Their in depth knowledge of the law and of the cases we take on gives us the ability to use our supporter funds effectively, efficiently and in the best interest of the people,” explained Fick.

Last year, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) brought an application to prevent Gupta-linked trustees from getting their hands on nearly R1.7bn rehabilitation funds. In March this year the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) brought an urgent preservation order which caused a bit of confusion as to what should happen to the funds.

The three parties met yesterday and agreed that the AFU preservation order would be postponed and heard alongside OUTA’s case due at the end of May this year.