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Here’s a short section of an extract run in the Sunday Times this week:
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In 20 years in the oil business I had never heard of the company. Yet, here was Eskom’s procurement department, recommending that we award them a fuel oil tender to the tune of R432m. It stank to high heaven.
I first noticed the company during a meeting of the board of Eskom’s generation division in April 2022. Looking at the bidders’ list submitted by the procurement department, I quickly realised it was nothing more than a shelf company, and a close corporation to boot.
Another company on the list was also distinctly dodgy: a quick Google search revealed that they were under US sanctions from the Office of Foreign Assets Control — or OFAC, which precipitated a suitably onomatopoeic moment.
I asked about the shelf company. “Anything to be concerned about?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
“Nothing at all, they are good,” was the response.
One of the key requirements of a successful cross-examination is to know the answers to the questions that you’re going to ask, and then pay out enough rope for the witness to hang himself …
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To read the full extract, click on the story below.
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