The former chief executive of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) Lucky Montana returned to the State Capture Inquiry on Monday to answer questions about his property transactions. But at the end of the day, his testimony was described as “running around in circles”.
Montana told the inquiry that he “rejects with contempt” suggestions that he used Prasa money to buy property through his property development partner.
Previous testimony before the inquiry alleged that Montana would view properties, and these would then be paid for by Riaan van der Walt through a company called Precise Trade and Invest 02. Van der Walt, through Precise Trade, is alleged to have settled Montana’s bond for a property in Tshwane, among other transactions, as revealed by
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Khulekani Magubane Share Former Passenger Rail Agency of SA CEO, Lucky Montana, appears before a parliamentary inquiry into state capture on January 30, 2018 in Cape Town.
Gallo Images / Sowetan / Esa Alexander
Former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana told the State Capture Commission that contracts that he oversaw and championed were being targeted with claims of irregularities.
Montana defended an R80 million contract for training that Prasa entered into with a company named Prodigy.
Montana said when he had to discipline officials he was on good terms with, spurious claims of impropriety on his part emerged.
Former Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) group CEO Lucky Montana took to the witness stand at the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into State Capture to defend contracts and programmes that the agency undertook during his tenure, saying all of them gave the state-owned company value for money.
Montana claims Popo Molefe led project to discredit him Updated
Gaopalelwe Phalaetsile
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Former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana claims the entity’s former board chairman Popo Molefe led a campaign to tarnish his name because he refused to follow what he considered to have been unlawful instructions
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He resigned from the rail agency in 2015 after reports that his relationship with the board had broken down and allegations of irregular contractssigned under his leadership.
I defend Prasa vehemently because people have come to the commission to say money was paid and was paid in advance, but they don t see any value. Chair, I want to assure you that there is no single Prasa project where we spent money and we cannot show what we did, he told the commission.
Three more ousted Prasa execs to return to work next mo dailymaverick.co.za - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymaverick.co.za Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.