Anoj Singh knew about irregular payments to Trillian – report

Under-fire Eskom chief financial officer Anoj Singh knew about payments to Trillian Capital Partners,  a Gupta-linked company.

Eskom’s interim chairperson and acting CEO both confirmed never having a contractual agreement with Trillian, despite it being remunerated R495 million in 2016.

According to Business Day, “new evidence” has uncovered that Singh undertook a number of trips, including one between 17-24 December 2015, staying at the Oberoi Hotel in Dubai. It is reported the Guptas paid for the trip.

Oberoi Hotel, a luxurious skyscraper that has become synonymous with state capture foot soldiers, was evidently a hotel of choice for Singh as he checked in during four other trips between 6 June 2014 and February 2015.

The publication revealed that “on at least one occasion he was with Rajesh Gupta and his stay at the Oberoi Hotel was paid for by the Guptas’ Sahara [Computers]” – the timing of the trips coincided with Trillian becoming the “supplier development partner” for McKinsey.

Singh is also believed to have have direct knowledge of the Trillian payments as early as February 2016, “nearly two months before the first payment of R30.6 million” was effected despite no legally binding contract existing between the two entities.

READ MORE: Anoj Singh, the middleman in the Eskom-Trillian-McKinsey triad

The whistle-blower allegedly informed the publication Singh was directly sent the first Trillian invoice itemised for “Eskom corporate plan deliverable” on 11 February 2016. This information is consistent with the findings of an investigation commissioned by Tokyo Sexwale and conducted by Geoff Budlender SC.

Trillian CFO Tebogo Leballo allegedly sent the invoice and resent it on 14 April 2016. Budlender confirmed it was stamped “paid” in his findings.

Singh’s tenures as CFO at two state-owned entities, Eskom and Transnet, have been dodged by Gupta-related alleged financial impropriety and flagrant violation of PFMA and Treasury regulations.

During Eskom’s 2015/16 year-end financial results announcement, the media confronted Singh with questions surroundings the allegations around a shelf company established by the Guptas, and paid R400 000 for his benefit.

He was also a CFO at Transnet when a “R1.8 billion contract was awarded to Neotel, which resulted in payments of at least R36 million to Gupta-linked company Homix” and the Guptas “secured coal supply and transport contracts through Tegeta worth at least R12 billion”.

http://https://www.citizen.co.za/news/news-national/eskom-cfo-to-stay-put-in-his-position/

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