Johannesburg - Former acting chief executive of Eskom, Matshela Koko, returned to the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga yesterday.
However, the case was once again postponed, this time to September 21, when arguments about the numerous delays and postponements are set to be heard in court.
A frustrated Koko, who has in the past spoken out against the delays, said: “What I thought was 8 million pages in the docket is actually 83 million pages. After six years of investigations and 200 witnesses, the State could not produce the charge sheet.
“We were successful in convincing the court of the inquiry about the unnecessary delay. Arguments about the delay are scheduled for September 21.”
Spokesperson for the NPA’s investigative directorate, Sindi Seboka, said the matter would return to court on September 21 following Koko’s brief appearance in court after he was charged by the Investigating Directorate.
The charges related to a multibillion-rand contract Eskom entered into with a Swiss engineering company in 2015.
Ahead of the court appearance, National Union of Metalworkers SA secretary general Irvin Jim said he supported the former Eskom acting CEO, who, along with seven other accused – including his wife and two daughters – is embroiled in a R2.2 billion Kusile Power Station fraud, corruption and money laundering case.
“We remain in solidarity with Matshela Koko tomorrow in court, as we deem him innocent until proven guilty,” Jim said on Sunday.
Ahead of his court appearance, Koko lamented the many delays, saying he and his co-accused were being disadvantaged by these.
Koko said the State had more than once shown that it was not ready to proceed with the matter against him and his co-accused following various postponements.
“On October 27, 2022, I was arrested and charged with allegations of, among other things, fraud, together with contraventions of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
“The Honourable Court, after hearing submissions from all the parties concerned, ruled that the matter would be marked final for the provision of the indictment and copies of the docket.”
He said his lawyers have been in contact with the State to ensure the matter is put to bed.
“Over the last two weeks, those representing me have been in contact with the State, telephonically and through the exchange of correspondence. Even after obtaining 847 witness statements and more than 8 million pages contained in the police dockets, the final charge sheet has not been completed and is not ready for dissemination to the various parties.
“Frankly, I can’t wrap my head around ‘8 million pages’ in the police docket. It sounds weird,” he said.
The Star