Picture File: Former Eskom executive France Hlakudi appears in the Pretoria Magistrate’s on August 25, 2020 in Pretoria, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images/Beeld/Deaan Vivier
The Palm Ridge Specialised Crimes Court has issued a warrant of arrest for former Eskom contracts manager France Hlakudi for failing to appear in court on Wednesday.
His bail money of R300,000 has also been provisionally forfeited to the state. He is expected to appear within 14 days (13 April 2022) for final forfeiture of his bail money.
According to the NPA’s Investigating Directorate (ID), Hlakudi is accused number one in the R745 million Eskom Kusile Power Station corruption case.
Hlakudi and his co-accused, Eskom’s former group executive for the group capital division, Abram Masango, businessman Maphoko Kgomoeswana, and Tubular Construction CEO Antonio Trindade face various charges including fraud, corruption, and money laundering related to the construction of the multibillion-rand power plant.
In 2020, the Specialised Investigating Unit (SIU) began probing companies alleged to have received overpayments amounting to R4 billion during the Kusile power station’s construction.
It was alleged Masango, Hlakudi, Kgomoeswana and Trindade committed these offences from 2014 to 2017.
Masango and Hlakudi were accused of receiving a R30 million bribe each from Trindade.
Kgomoeswana and his company, Babinatlou Business Services CC, are accused of facilitating the bribes on behalf of the Kusile contractors to the Eskom bosses.
In December last year, the Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London adjourned the extradition trial of Ex-Tubular holdings advisor Michael Lomas from 3 to 5 May 2022 due to a new medical reason.
His legal team brought a submission before the court that the medical condition had a bearing on his mental health.
Lomas has been indicted along with the four other accused over Eskom’s R745 million Kusile corruption case.
The spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) Investigating Directorate (ID), Sindisiwe Seboka, said Lomas was out of the country when his co-accused were arrested and he has never cooperated with law enforcement to stand trial.
Additional reporting by Thapelo Lekabe
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