South Africa’s anti-graft ombudsman is investigating Eskom’s deals with 27 independent power producers, Independent Online reported, citing a leaked document.

The probe into the state-owned utility’s award of electricity production licences to privately owned companies was started after a complaint, the publication reported, citing a letter from public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to the utility’s chairman, Jabu Mabuza.

Public Protector spokesman Oupa Segalwe said he couldn’t immediately comment.

The complaint maintains that Eskom’s contracts to buy electricity from so-called independent power producers were tainted by corruption and that unidentified senior executives came under political pressure to agree to the terms. The contracts saddle the debt-laden utility with an estimated yearly loss of R21-billion, or an estimated R1.4-trillion over the next 20 years, the online publication said.  — Reported by Felix Njini, (c) 2019 Bloomberg LP