South Africa

Eskom employee arrested for embezzling R14.7 million

An Eskom contractor employee was arrested on Friday, 17 March, after embezzling funds from the power utility in 2014.

FORMER ESKOM CONTRACTOR FINALLY PAYS FOR CORRUPTION

In a statement, the power utility revealed that concerted efforts by the South African Police Services’ Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (DPCI) and Eskom led to the arrest of the contractor employee at Eskom’s Matla Power Station today.

The arrest is in connection with prior transgressions committed while the suspect was employed by Eskom in the capacity of Senior Buyer at Arnot Power Station in 2014.

The arrest follows allegations that the supplier was awarded an order for the supply of Bowl Pumps and received a down payment of R14.7 million upfront without goods being delivered. The Power Utility had to place an urgent order for the material with another company, suffering financial loss as a consequence.

POWER UTILITY FINDS THE FORMER EMPLOYEE GUILTY

“An internal investigation found that the employee facilitated the payment without authorisation and resigned soon thereafter.”

Eskom

Web Search Engine

The investigation also found that the supplier in question, which is no longer operational, had no track record in dealing with Eskom nor had any previous orders. Several misrepresentations and irregularities that appear to indicate that the employee’s involvement amounted to fraud and corruption were uncovered. Subsequently, a criminal case was registered following the investigation.

THE ACCUSED REMAINS IN CUSTODY

“We are grateful to the DPCI that the long arm of the law finally caught up with the suspect three years later. The arrest of the employee having left the employ of Eskom is an encouraging step in our persistent efforts in the fight against fraud and corruption. It will serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals who thought they could get away with crime by merely resigning from the organisation,” said Amos Phoshoko, Acting Senior Manager for Forensic and Anti-Corruption at Eskom.

According to Eskom, the employee has been remanded in custody for a bail application on Wednesday, 22 March 2023.

ALSO READ:

Artmotion S.Africa

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button