Hain's accusations 'unfounded', says law firm

International law firm Hogan Lovells is ‘disappointed’ by Lord Peter Hain’s ‘unfounded accusations’ over the firm’s handling of the Jonas Makwakwa debacle, the firm’s regional managing partner in the UK and Africa said in a private mail to Hain. The response followed Hain's tongue-lashing handed out to Hogan Lovells and the SA Revenue Service in the UK’s House of Lords. A Daily Maverick report notes a disciplinary hearing conducted by Hogan Lovells saw money laundering accused Makwakwa back in his top job at SARS last year. Now Hain wants Hogan Lovells’ status as a recognised body in England and Wales revoked and asked that the firm’s senior partners’ permission to practise as solicitors be withdrawn. Hain has accused Hogan Lovells of being tax boss Tom Moyane’s puppet that ‘white-washed’ a report in order to spare Makwakwa, his right-hand man. Hogan Lovells reportedly wrote an e-mailed note to members of the House of Lords, complaining that they have not been given an opportunity to respond to ‘these entirely unfounded allegations’. ‘Lord Hain’s unfounded accusations reflect a lack of understanding of the work we were asked to carry out for the SARS,’ Hogan Lovells' regional managing partner in the UK and Africa, Susan Bright, said in a statement attached to the same e-mail sent to members of the House of Lords. Hain pointed out that Hogan Lovells’ conduct ‘follows the pattern of other similar episodes – Bell Pottinger, KPMG, McKinsey, SAP, HSBC – where the firm concerned first denied, then was dragged to reconsider, and finally to apologise for their complicity in corrupt state capture in SA. I would have thought Hogan Lovells would have learnt by now from that’.

Full Daily Maverick report