SIU: Four Eskom officials bagged R44m ‘gratification’ payments
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) has revealed that four Eskom officials received unlawful payments of R44 million during the power utility’s build projects.
The SIU appeared before the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Wednesday to update MPs on it investigations into fraud and corruption at the cash-strapped power utility.
"Furthermore, suspicious payments totalling R136 million for four contractors at Kusile have been uncovered,” said the SIU’s Claudia O'Brien.
"The contractors subsequently channelled unlawful payments as means of a gratification, totalling to R44.4 million to four Eskom officials."
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Civil proceedings have been instituted against three of the four contractors at Eskom in an effort to recover more than R2.7 billion in payments made during the build programme.
“The one contractor, we’re looking at R780 million. The second contractor we’re looking at R1.2 billion to be set aside and recovery of overpayments of between R700 million and R1 billion. The third contractor, we’re looking at approximately R1 billion,” said O’Brien.
Investigations into three of the four contractors is at an advanced stage.
"The investigation in respect of the remaining contractor is in its early stages,” O’Brien told the committee.
“Evidence was found pointing to the commission of fraud, contraventions of PACOCA, corruption and money laundering.”
