Two Indian-origin couples arrested for defrauding South Africa’s electricity supplier Eskom, released on bail

Two former employees of technology giant ABB and their wives, all Indian origin, who were arrested for defrauding South Africas electricity supplier Eskom, have been released on bail, investigating authorities said. Embattled Eskom, which has come under fire in recent times due to the frequent power outages in South Africa, has welcomed the arrest of the two former ABB employees.

Two former employees of technology giant ABB and their wives, all Indian origin, who were arrested for defrauding South Africa's electricity supplier Eskom, have been released on bail, investigating authorities said. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) more popularly known as the Hawks, which investigates and prosecutes high-profile and complex crimes, on Tuesday arrested Mohammed and Raeesa Mooidheen from their Johannesburg residence and Vernon and Aradhna Pillay from Durban respectively. Electronic equipment and assets were seized by the Hawks in a joint operation with the South African Revenue Services. At their respective court appearances, the accused were charged with corruption, fraud and money laundering, and were granted bail set at between R20,000 and R50,000 respectively, Hawks said. They will appear in court again on October 14. Hawks spokesperson Sindisiwe Seboka said the four had defrauded South Africa's national electricity supplier Eskom. Seboka said they had received kickbacks to the tune of R8.6 million, including cash and luxury cars, by inflating the prices charged by the company Impulse, a subcontractor to ABB.

The role of the wives was not made clear, but it is believed that some of the assets seized by the Hawks were in their names. Embattled Eskom, which has come under fire in recent times due to the frequent power outages in South Africa, has welcomed the arrest of the two former ABB employees. The recent Commission of Inquiry into State Capture found that senior Eskom employees, including some board members, had been complicit in the parastatal company being looted of billions by various people and companies, among them the Gupta family, who are now in self-exile in Dubai as South Africa awaits their extradition. "Eskom congratulates the NPA's Investigating Directorate on the arrests in this case, and pledges to do everything in its power to assist the investigations to bring about successful prosecutions," the company said in a statement. "Eskom also hopes this is just the beginning and that more arrests will follow on this matter, and on the more than 100 other criminal cases lodged with the law enforcement agencies over the years," it said. "The law enforcement system needs to show that the time for the criminal impunity and theft that continue to rob the people of South Africa of services they have so dearly paid for, is up," it added.

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