News
Man Faces Court in Alleged R2 Billion Kusile Power Station Corruption
In connection with the R2.2 billion corruption at the Kusile Power Station, a man is set to appear in the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Wednesday, as announced by the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigating Directorate. This brings the total number of accused linked to the corruption at the power station to 16, which includes former acting Eskom chief executive Matshela Koko as reported by IOL.
The suspect was arrested on Wednesday morning and is charged with money laundering linked to Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga, according to ID spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka. The accused joins 16 other companies and individuals who have been arrested and charged in the same case.
Also Read: Service Delivery Shortcomings in the City of Joburg
Among the accused are former ABB South Africa employees Mohammed Essop Mooidheen and Vernon Pillay, along with their wives Raeesa Mooidheen and Aradhna Pillay. Additionally, Eskom subcontractor Impulse International (Pty) Ltd and Indiwize Construction are also facing corruption, money laundering, fraud, forgery, and uttering charges. They were arrested in July last year.
Further arrests were made in October last year by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) and the ID, resulting in eight more suspects being apprehended during raids in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
The investigation into this matter had been ongoing for over five years before these arrests were made on fraud, corruption, and money laundering charges.
One notable arrest includes Koko, his wife, Mosima, and stepdaughter, Koketso Choma, whose involvement is related to a multi-billion rand contract Eskom entered with Swiss engineering company Asea Brown Bovei (ABB) in 2015. ABB allegedly subcontracted work to a local company, Impulse International, where Choma held shares. She reportedly received R30 million from the deal, and some of the money went to her mother, Mosima.
The Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture, led by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, recommended that Koko be investigated and potentially prosecuted for a series of Gupta-linked deals during his tenure at Eskom.
The accused were granted bail, and investigations revealed that in 2009, the power utility had initially contracted Alstom for the control and instrumentation contract at Kusile. However, Alstom did not perform, and Eskom engineers recommended Siemens for the role. The State alleges that Koko influenced and abused his position to invite Siemens, Billfinger-Mauell, and ABB to bid in a closed tender. Billfinger-Mauell withdrew from the process, and ABB South Africa was awarded the multimillion-rand control and instrumentation contract in 2015.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit was awarded a provisional restraint order valued at R583.8 million against former employees of ABB South Africa, their wives, and Eskom subcontractors in April.
In December last year, the Swiss engineering firm ABB reached an agreement with the NPA to pay reparations of R2.5 billion for its involvement in state corruption.
Also Read:
Follow us on Google News
Photo: Facebook / @KUSILE POWER STATION
