“Fine him a million, or jail him” – Eskom gets tough on state capture boss

Eskom isn’t afraid to get its claws out as they continue to pursue the trail of wasted billions that plunged the firm into a disastrous position. The utility is now going after Eric Wood – the director of Trillian Consulting – after his company failed to pay the R595m owed to the SOE.

Who is Eric Wood?

As Daily Maverick report, Trillian’s lawyer Kevin Hacker said his client is “most certainly” opposing the latest application. Trillian were told last year that they would have to pay the fee back to Eskom, after their dodgy dealings with the Gupta brothers were exposed. The group inflated their consultancy fees and charged extortionate amounts to work with Eskom, who are stuck in a R450 billion debt-hole.

Eric Wood is currently facing multiple charges related to his alleged roles in the state capture project, including racketeering, money laundering and fraud. He has been accused of working with close Gupta associate Salim Essa, receiving large sums in irregular payments from state-owned enterprises.

Trillian told to “pay back the money” by Eskom

The personal wealth of Eric Wood increased dramatically a few years after he met the Guptas and Essa, it has been reported. To this day, he still isn’t playing by the rules of the law: The deadline for payment to Eskom expired on 9 October 2019. The state company are now planning to file a contempt of court case against Wood, demanding that he’s fined R1-million or given 30 days in jail for failing to pay-up.

Wayne Duvenage is the leader of the Organisation for Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA). He has been enthused by Eskom’s intensity in this matter, and urged the firm too keep Eric Wood under pressure:

“It’s encouraging to see the momentum upheld by Eskom. Too often these court orders are ignored and never enforced. They must keep up the pressure against Eric Wood and others”

Wayne Duvenage