The strange tale of Ben Ngubane's passport, the Guptas and an oil deal in central Africa
His passport was forwarded to Rajesh “Tony” Gupta in October 2013, along with quotes for a charter flight to travel to the Central African Republic
As Ben Ngubane controversially resigned his Eskom board chairmanship, another mysterious link to him and the Gupta family has emerged. The Times has found within the Gupta e-mail leaks evidence that his passport was forwarded to Rajesh “Tony” Gupta in October 2013, along with quotes for a charter flight to travel to the Central African Republic (CAR). The flight was for members of Ngubane’s company — Gade Oil and Gas — who were, they have confirmed, at the time investigating a huge oil and gas deal there. The deal, Ngubane said yesterday, could have seen him and his business partner, Salim Essa, earn an estimated R6-billion.Essa is one of the Guptas’ closest business associates. He and Ngubane established Gade Oil and Gas together. The proposed deal, reported on by The Times when the Gupta e-mails first leaked, has been dogged by accusations of bribes being asked for, but no evidence that they were paid. Last month Ngubane denied any association with the deal.Yesterday, he said he h...
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