Pretoria - The Middelburg-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation (Hawks) team in Mpumalanga arrested Portuguese national Maria Cantelo and added her as accused number five in the R14.7 million Eskom fraud case.
The 53-year-old appeared at the Hendrina Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Friday where she is facing charges of fraud, theft and money laundering.
Cantelo joins Thandeka Innocentia Nkosi, 42, who worked for Eskom as a senior buyer, as well as mother and son Rabela Sara Jones, 71, a director at Angel Frost Investment, and Godfrey Jason Jones, 46, who was the signatory.
Hawks spokesperson in Mpumalanga Captain Sekgotodi Dineo Lucy said that Eskom advertised a tender for the supply and delivery of pumps at Arnot power station in 2015.
“Engel Frost Investment was appointed or awarded the (contract)… while assisted by Eskom employee Thandeka Innocentia Nkosi. The company submitted documents which were fraudulent.
“Furthermore, Nkosi misled the financial section of Eskom to approve an upfront payment of R14 million to Engel Frost Investment, while in true fact it was false,” said Sekgotodi.
Sekgotodi said the pumps were never delivered.
She said during their probe, it was discovered that from March to April 2013, Nkosi colluded with Rabela Sara Jones and her two sons. The one son is still on the run.
During their court appearance Nkosi and Godfrey Jones were each granted R100 000 bail. Rabela Jones was granted R30 000 bail.
Meanwhile, Cantelo, who is accused of facilitating the tender process on behalf of Angel Frost Investment, was also released on R100 000 bail.
The case was postponed to June 5, 2023
Sekgotodi said police are still on the hunt for Rabela Jones’s other son.
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