By Michael Lomas, a British businessman and former contractor for South Africa’s state power utility Eskom, has been extradited from the United Kingdom to face 65 counts of corruption in South Africa.
Lomas arrived at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg early Friday morning under heavy police escort. He was in a wheelchair, reflecting his poor health condition, which necessitated a medical doctor’s presence on the flight as a condition of his extradition.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told AFP, “He allegedly manipulated contracts. He was previously arrested, got bail and fled the country to the UK.” Lomas is accused of taking kickbacks on contracts between his firm, Tubular Construction, and Eskom for work at the Kusile power station, valued at over 1.4 billion rand ($80 million; ÂŁ60 million).
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) initially requested Lomas’s extradition in 2022, but the process was delayed due to several appeals lodged by Lomas, all of which were ultimately rejected.
Lomas made a brief appearance at Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court before the case was adjourned. He will be charged and processed before his case is combined with that of 11 alleged co-conspirators, including two senior Eskom executives and two other businessmen, who were arrested in 2019. Their case is ongoing at the Johannesburg High Court.
The suspects face charges of fraud, money laundering, and corruption for allegedly taking kickbacks and inflating the cost of work at the Kusile power station. This project was intended to alleviate South Africa’s severe electricity shortages but has been plagued by delays and faults.
Brigadier Mathe stated that Lomas, considered a “wanted fugitive,” will be handed over to the Hawks, the police unit responsible for investigating economic crime, corruption, and organized crime. The Hawks have been working on this case since 2017, when an Eskom employee filed a complaint about one of the tenders.
This high-profile extradition comes as Eskom grapples with allegations of widespread corruption and years of mismanagement, which have led to prolonged blackouts across South Africa. The case against Lomas and his co-accused is seen as a significant step in addressing the corruption that has crippled the country’s power utility.
bbc.com
