Bail of R300 000 was granted to former Eskom boss Matshela Koko, on charges of fraud, corruption and Money laundering.
Koko along with his wife, Mosima, stepdaughters, Koketso Aren and Thato Choma, as well as Hlupheka Sithole and Watson Seswai, made an appearance in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga yesterday where they face charges related to a R2.8 billion corruption matter.
According to Sindisiwe Seboka of the National Prosecuting Authority’s Investigating Directorate (ID), the charges pertain to the building of the Kusile Power station.
Read: Former Eskom executive arrested-Koko faces corruption charges
“In 2009, Eskom contracted with Alstom to undertake the control and instrumentation contract at Kusile power station,” she explained. “Alstom did not perform. Eskom engineers recommended that Siemens be appointed.”
“The State alleges that (former) group executive (for) technology and commercial, Koko, influenced and abused his position to have Siemens, Billfinger-Mauell and ABB invited to bid in a closed tender,”
According to Seboka, Billfinger-Mauell dropped out of the tender process and ABB South Africa was awarded the multimillion-rand control and instrumentation (C&I) contract in 2015.
Under Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, the judicial commission of inquiry found that Koko had been “an integral component of the Gupta family’s strategy to capture Eskom”.
It was recommended that the former Eskom CEO be criminally investigated for various other state related deals including the Guptas’ controversial Tegeta deal.
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