By Staff Writer
The Democratic Alliance will lay charges of money laundering and corruption against the South African component of global software giant, SAP, and Gupta-affiliated company CAD House.
The South African office of the German software giant SAP is believed to have paid the Gupta front about R100 million “kickbacks” for state business.
The AmaBhungane and Scorpio said on Tuesday in a report that evidence suggests SAP used the Gupta influence network to drive sales of a billion rand to Transnet and other state-owned companies.
In August 2015, SAP signed a “sales commission agreement” with a small Gupta-controlled company that specialises in selling 3D printers, according to AmaBhungane and Scorpio in a report published on Tuesday.
“This consultancy is rather irregular considering that SAP is an international software giant which had existing contracts with Transnet. Furthermore, CAD House is a small company which specialises in selling 3D printers and which allegedly had no previous relationships with SAP or expertise in this field,” DA said in a statement.
The DA added that it has reason to believe that SAP South Africa procured the services of CAD House purely because they wanted access to its owners, Duduzane Zuma and the Guptas’, connections within Transnet with a view to securing a lucrative contract.
The DA will, therefore, proceed to lay charges of corruption and money laundering against SAP South Africa – directors and employees; CAD House – members and employees; and any other person who had material interests in this dodgy deal.
The German-based firm has placed the current management team on administrative leave pending the findings of the review.
It has initiated an independent investigation spearheaded by a multinational law firm and overseen by executive board member Adaire Fox-Martin to vigorously review contracts awarded by SAP South Africa
“It is simply not enough that the implicated SAP South Africa executives are scapegoated, these dealings must have gone higher up in SAP and all those involved should be held accountable,” said DA.
“This is not the first time SAP has been caught with its hands in the cookie jar. The firm has previously been found guilty of bribery in numerous countries and the revelations that SAP South Africa had ignored a number of red flags about CAD House is even further cause for concern.”
