One of the five people accused of swindling power utility Eskom in an elaborate scheme, 55-year-old Patrick Patrese Jones, has been denied bail by the Hendrina Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga.
Jones, who had been on the run for 10 years, appeared in the Mpumalanga court on Monday, where he was seeking bail.
After hearing his application, the court denied him bail and postponed his case to December 4, where he will appear alongside his four co-accused, and a company.
The 55-year-old man was arrested on September 7, during an operation conducted in Gordon’s Bay, in the Western Cape for the Mpumalanga fraud case registered with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.
Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi said the 55-year-old was wanted for fraud, theft, and money laundering.
The State alleges that in April 2013, Jones colluded with Thandeka Innocentia Nkosi, 42, who was working for Eskom as a senior buyer.
Sekgotodi said that during the investigation it was established that Jones, his family and his girlfriend were involved in the fraud.
“Jones’s brother Godfrey Jason Jones, 46, was a signatory to Angel Frost Investment Pty Ltd business account held at Standard Bank. His mother Rabela Sarah Jones, aged 71, was the sole director of Angel Frost Investment Pty Ltd and Angel Frost Investment Pty Ltd,” Sekgotodi said.
“Maria Cantelo, a foreign national aged 53, Patrick Patrese Jones’s girlfriend facilitated the tender processes on behalf of Angel Frost Investment Pty Ltd and benefited from the proceeds of the crime.”
The Hawks said in April, Cantelo was arrested and added as accused number five in the case of Eskom theft, fraud and money laundering amounting to R14.7 million.
The Hendrina Specialised Commercial Crimes Court released Nkosi, Cantelo and Godfrey Jones on R100,000 bail each, while Rabela Sarah Jones was granted bail of R30,000 “due to her health conditions”.
After his arrest in Western Cape earlier this month, Patrick Patrese Jones appeared before the Strand Magistrate’s Court. He was transferred to Mpumalanga where he appeared in court.
The case against Rabela Sarah Jones, Godfrey Jason Jones, Nkosi, Cantelo and Angel Frost Investments was transferred to the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, and postponed to December 4. Their bail conditions were extended.
However, Patrick Patrese Jones will remain in custody, until the matter resumes in December, according to the Hawks.
“The accused (Patrick Patrese Jones) appeared in court on September 18, and the judgment was in favour of the State. He was remanded in custody until December 4 at Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court,” said Sekgotodi.
Meanwhile, provincial head of the Hawks in Mpumalanga, Major General Nicholas Gerber has applauded the Western Cape multi-disciplinary team for the “breakthrough” in arresting Patrick Patrese Jones.
He also saluted the investigating officer “for his determination and good standing in court to oppose bail”.
IOL