By Alec Hogg
In August last year, I submitted a formal complaint to the UK’s Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) against London law firm Schillings International. In early 2016 Schillings, accepted £75 000 from the now-defunct PR firm Bell Pottinger to “go for the kill” against Biznews. The Guptas gave instructions to shut us up, thus discouraging other media from probing president Jacob Zuma’s allies.
Yesterday, Lord Peter Hain took a similar route. But while my plea to the SRA was low key, Hain went public in Westminster, petitioning the House of Lords. And instead of the hefty fine I’d requested, Hain wants his target, UK law firm Hogan Lovells, to have its authorisation removed and its senior partners debarred.
The story is covered in some detail on Biznews. In a nutshell, Hain reckons Hogan Lovells facilitated state capture by whitewashing an investigation for SARS. It is a near carbon copy of the deeply flawed KPMG for SARS which report ended the careers of its entire South African top team.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of people like anti-apartheid icon Hain, the tide has turned against the corrupt and their facilitators. Decisively. Hope springs.
