S. Africa, US, Germany to collaborate in fraud probe

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa

South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime investigations, the Hawks, said Thursday they are in the process of collaborating with U.S. and German authorities in a corruption probe concerning the three countries.

“We are preparing a Mutul Legal Assistance Document (MLA) requesting them to allow us to visit their country to seek information,” Hawks spokesman Brig Hangwani Mulaudzi told Anadolu Agency.

German Software giant SAP SE Thursday told U.S. authorities saying it had paid commissions of 94 million rand ($6.8 million) to a company linked to the controversial wealthy Gupta Family.

The payments were for assisting it to obtain contracts with South Africa’s Power Utility Eskom and Transnet, said the company in a statement.

“Between December 2014 and November 2016, SAP concluded two contracts for the sale of software to Transnet and two contracts for the sale of software to Eskom, each with the assistance of an entity currently understood to have been Gupta-related,” SAP said in a statement.

The Gupta family, seen as close to South African President Jacob Zuma, is accused of influencing him to appoint and dismiss ministers in accordance with their interests or to secure lucrative government contracts.

Claims have surfaced saying Zuma was influenced by the wealthy Gupta family to appoint and dismiss ministers in accordance with their interests or to secure lucrative government contracts.

The Guptas, whose interests include mining and media companies, are being investigated in South Africa over the appropriation of public money, known as “state capture”. They are also currently reportedly under investigation by the FBI.

The three Gupta brothers, who reportedly relocated to South Africa from India in 1993, and Zuma have denied any wrong-doing.