Guptas 'spied on bank bosses'

25 June 2017 - 12:40
By Staff reporter
Trevor Manuel and Maria Ramos. Picture credit: LAUREN MULLIGAN.
Trevor Manuel and Maria Ramos. Picture credit: LAUREN MULLIGAN.

The Gupta family have been spying on some of South Africa’s top banking executives‚ their family members‚ a former cabinet minister and a rival in a lucrative tender deal‚ the Sunday Times reported.

It said the family – unmasked as the masterminds behind an intricate network of influence and corruption – were in possession of sensitive information‚ including detailed travel itineraries of banking bosses‚ dating from 2015.

Absa CEO Maria Ramos and her husband‚ former finance minister Trevor Manuel‚ are among the executives kept under surveillance‚ according to the report. Others include Rand Merchant Bank founders GT Ferreira‚ Paul Harris and Laurie Dippenaar‚ and Investec CEO Stephen Koseff.

Leaked documents reveal that Ashu Chawla‚ a senior Gupta executive‚ is in possession of a spreadsheet documenting the identity numbers and international travel dates of these top executives‚ Sunday Times reported.