The Hendrina Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga has denied bail to Patrick Patrese Jones, 55, one of the five people accused of defrauding Eskom in a complex scheme.

Jones, who had been omitting for ten years, made an appearance in court on Monday in Mpumalanga to ask for bail.

The 55-year-old male was arrested on September 7 during an operation in Gordon’s Bay, in the Western Cape, in connection with the Mpumalanga fraud case reported to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, better known as the Hawks.

Mpumalanga Hawks spokesperson Captain Dineo Sekgotodi said the 55-year-old was wanted for fraud, theft, and money laundering.

The judge heard his application, denied bail, and rescheduled the case for December 4, when he will appear in court with his four co-accused and a business.

The State claims that in April 2013, Jones worked with Thandeka Innocentia Nkosi, a 42-year-old senior buyer for Eskom.

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 reported that Cantelo was arrested in April and added as accused 5 in the R14.7 million in Eskom theft, fraud, and money laundering case.

Nkosi, Cantelo, and Godfrey Jones were each given an R100,000 bail by the Hendrina Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, while Rabela Sarah Jones was given an R30,000 bail “due to her health conditions.”

The Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court heard the case against Rabela Sarah Jones, Godfrey Jason Jones, Nkosi, Cantelo, and Angel Frost Investments and continued it to December 4. The terms of their bail were increased.

According to the Hawks, Patrick Patrese Jones will remain in jail until the case resumes in December.