State sets out claims against Eskom 'conspirators'
Eskom has filed court papers against 12 of its former Executives and board members who are accused of channelling the entity's funds to assist Gupta owned companies and their associates for six years.
The power utility and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) filed court papers at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria and subsequently released the 73-page summons.
The document details the state seeking to recover R3.8 billion that it argues have been lost between 2012 and 2018, when the “defendants conspired together with other persons.”
Among the defendants is former Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, former Eskom Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brian Molefe, former Eskom Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Anoj Singh, former Eskom Group Executive for Generation Matshela Koko, Eskom's former Head of Legal Services, Suzanne Daniels, former Eskom Board Chairperson Ben Ngubane and former Eskom board members Chwayita Mabude.
Zwane - who is currently an ANC Member of Parliament (MP) - is accused of "The diversion of public funds of the Free State Government to the Gupta entities."
The controversial Gupta brothers - Atul Gupta, Rajesh Gupta, Ajay Gupta - and their business associated Salim Essa are also listed as defendants.
They are currently sought and are suspected to be living in Dubai.
The summons sets out the exact claim against each of the defendents.
"The object of the conspiracy was the corrupt, alternatively irregular, diversion of resources from organs of state in South Africa, and, in particular, South African state-owned enterprises, improperly to benefit the Gupta brothers, their family, and entities controlled by the Gupta brothers and/or Essa," reads the document.
Ngubane, Daniels and Koko are also accused of leaking confidential Eskom documents to Essa, who in turn would then apparently influence Eskom Board decisions.
The defendants have been given 10 days to react and defend the summons.
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