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A former Eskom employee wants a tax fraud matter removed from the court list.
- Former Eskom senior manager France Hlakudi is facing charges for fraud and personal tax evasion.
- Hlakudi has submitted a request for the case to be removed from the list.
- A Pretoria magistrate will rule on the case next month.
Former Eskom senior manager France Hlakudi filed an application in Pretoria Regional Court on Wednesday for his tax fraud and evasion case to be dropped.
His lawyers argued that the fraud charges should not be applicable in this case and should be vacated before proceeding to trial, said the spokesman for the Investigation Unit of the National Tax Authority, Sindisiwe Twala.
However, the Investigation Directorate argued that Hlakudi “intentionally defrauded the South African Revenue Service by not disclosing his true income, which amounts to an intention to defraud the state,” it added.
“Fraud and infringement of the Tax Administration Act charges are related to your personal tax affairs and those of your companies, Hlakudi Translation and Interpretation cc, Coxinel Chicken (Pty) Ltd and Bon Services Telcom cc. This corresponds to the funds received between 2015 and 2018 “.
Hlakudi was the senior manager of capital contracts for the Kusile power plant.
Judge Adriaan Bekker will deliver sentence on April 22.
Last Tuesday, Hlakudi appeared in court along with his former colleague, former Eskom executive Abram Masango, Tubular Construction CEO Antonio Trindade, and Limpopo businessman Maphoko Kgomoeswana, in connection with a corruption case from R745 million at the Kusile power station.
That case was postponed until June 1 to allow the exchange of additional documents requested by the defense, Twala said.
The defendants face charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, offering unauthorized gratuity and receiving unauthorized gratuity for a period of three years.
