Eskom and the Special Investigation Unit have today approached the North Gauteng High Court aiming to recoup R3.8 billion lost to corruption.
In a statement, the power utility said funds will be recovered from former executives, former Board members, members of the Gupta family and their associates, amongst others.
“The funds were lost in a concerted effort corruptly to divert financial resources from Eskom, to improperly and illegally benefit the Gupta family and entities controlled by the said family and their associates during their 2015-16 acquisition of the operations of Optimum Coal Holdings Limited (OCH)” said Eskom.
“This delictual claim for damages that Eskom suffered relates to the recovery of approximately R3.8 billion in funds illegally diverted from Eskom to help the Gupta family and its associates to acquire the operations of OCH, which owned the Optimum Coal Mining (Pty) Ltd that
supplied the Hendrina power station with coal. The further delictual claim for damages pertains to the payments that were unlawfully made to Trillian by Eskom Executives”
The utility said defendants are former Eskom employees Brian Molefe,
Anoj Singh, Matshela Moses Koko, and Suzanne Margaret Daniels amongst others.
Eskom added that it also seeks damages against non- executive directors Baldwin Ben Ngubane, Chwayita Mabude, Mark Vivian Pamensky, Mosebenzi Zwane, Salim Aziz Essa, Rajesh Tony Gupta, Atul Gupta, and Ajay Gupta.
“As previously stated, Eskom continues to review major contracts concluded over the years, and where any evidence of corruption or other irregularities have been discovered, Eskom has a moral and legal duty to cancel those contracts, and to recoup any losses it may have
suffered as a result of any illegal or irregular activity” expressed Mantsantsa.
The SIU is reportedly investigating numerous contracts at Eskom under Proclamation R11 of 2018.