No evidence McKinsey instigated corruption with Transnet, Eskom - senior partner
Updated | By Gaopalelwe Phalaetsile
US consultancy firm McKinsey and Co has told the commission of inquiry into state capture that a thorough investigation has found that the company did not instigate corruption at South African state-owned companies.
France-based senior partner Jean-Christophe Mieszala appeared before the commission on Thursday via a video link.
On Wednesday, the commission confirmed that the consulting has committed to repaying R650 million it received from the South African Airways (SAA) and Transnet.
The company made a similar commitment to pay R1 billion to Eskom in 2018.
This is in relation to the contracts McKinsey worked on at the state-owned entities alongside Gupta-linked Regiments between 2012 and 2015.
Asked whether the company had found evidence of corrupt payments by McKinsey to Eskom or Transnet officials, Mieszala said no.
"When we were doing our investigations, we reviewed 90 million documents, conducted interviews with 160 people and we did not find any evidence that there was any attempt on the side of McKinsey to instigate any kind of corruption. We didn't find any evidence of money and payments that would be a source of concern."
Meiszala said they only found violations of the company's professional code by former senior partner Vikas Sagar.
Sagar had a relationship with Gupta associate Salim Essa.
Meiszala said Sagar was able to wipe off all evidence on his computer by the time he was caught.
Sagar also helped former Transnet boss Siyabonga Gama with his PHD.
Meiszala said the one item they did find was a letter in Sagar's possession which talked detailed Eskom's turnaround strategy which listed Gupta-linked Trillian Management Consulting as a contractor.
He said they were not working with Trillian or Regiments.
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