Finance minister Pravin Gordhan has fired “the political equivalent of a bazooka” at Eskom CEO Brian Molefe, Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier said on Monday, after national treasury issued a statement saying that the state-owned power utility has ignored queries about a deal with Gupta-controlled Tegeta Exploration & Resources.

“To date, not only has Eskom failed to honour its undertaking to submit comments to treasury’s report but it has chosen to ignore correspondence and put all form of hindrances,” national treasury said in the statement.

“It is treasury’s view that a company or entity that is doing business with government and has nothing to hide should be transparent and should welcome reviews of its dealings with the state.”

Treasury ordered Eskom to desist from claims it had made that coal supply agreements it had signed with Tegeta had been audited by the finance ministry.

“National treasury has noted with concern the statement issued by Eskom on Sunday, 28 August that it has been cooperating with the process of reviews of the coal contracts. National treasury would like to categorically state that its efforts have met resistance.”

Maynier welcomed treasury’s move, saying Gordhan has accused Molefe of “repeatedly resisting attempts to obtain further information, vital to the review, from Eskom”.

“It’s hard not to conclude that Brian Molefe is protecting the Guptas … who have threatened to interdict national treasury from making a report, relating to the review, public following an application by myself in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act,” Maynier said.

“We cannot allow Molefe to behave as if he is a law unto himself, entitled to give the equivalent of a middle finger to reviews being conducted by national treasury,” he added.