The UAE has turned down a South African request to extradite two Indian-born brothers accused of systemically plundering state resources. Photo: Flickr / Damanpreet Singh
The UAE has turned down a South African request to extradite two Indian-born brothers accused of systemically plundering state resources. Photo: Flickr / Damanpreet Singh
A string of explosive allegations have been tabled by Mmusi Maimane on Monday, as the former leader of the opposition held a press conference to announce findings from investigations lead by the One SA Movement. He has accused the Guptas of ‘being on the verge of receiving a multi-million dollar windfall’ from a deal brokered with Eskom.
As you’d expect from a supposed money laundering operation that includes the Guptas, there is an incredibly convoluted set of events that needs to be unpacked first. According to the research from Maimane and his colleagues, the brothers still have a shell company that is feeding off of Optimum, and in turn, organising a way to funnel millions out of the country.
A top associate of the Guptas is acting as a ‘middle-man’ in the deal, and money has apparently been sent directly to the fugitive family via a channel in Bermuda. Maimane is highly concerned that Eskom is still funding the Indian billionaires.
The alleged dodgy deal can be explained in six steps:
Maimane details some of his findings:
— Nokukhanya Mntambo (@khanya_mntambo) March 1, 2021
-Last year September, Eskom and Centaur voted to approve a business rescue plan for Optimum, in effect giving Centaur executive power over Optimum.
"The red flags cannot be ignored." pic.twitter.com/P6eEbBKrwh
The One SA movement will write to Eskom’s board to reverse the decision to support the business rescue plan for Optimum. Meanwhile, Mmusi Maimane wants full access to the terms and conditions of their deal with Eskom.
Centaur can also expect a forensic review, with Maimane confirming he will ask Pravin Gordhan to launch an audit into the company’s financial activities since 2016. The Guptas, he says, ‘cannot continue to benefit from Eskom corruption’.