Johannesburg – The Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on Friday postponed the corruption case against extradited Briton Michael Lomas who is accused of defrauding Eskom of R1,4 billion.
The accused was remanded in custody.
The next time the elderly Lomas appears in court it will be on 27 September 2024 at the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, for his formal bail application.
Lomas, who earlier Friday, (20 September 2024), arrived on a flight from the UK, is facing 65 counts of corruption linked to the R1,4 billion that was meant for the upgrade of Eskom’s Kusile power station in Mpumalanga between 2014 and 2017.
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His court appearance follows a successful extradition launched by the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) from the United Kingdom, wherein he was arrested by the authorities on 15 April 2021 and released on bail on 20 May 2021.
The state’s application for his extradition was opposed, however, on 30 January 2023 an extradition order was signed by the Minister of State Security in the UK.
Subsequently, Lomas appealed against the extradition order but was unsuccessful.
Furthermore, Lomas launched four more appeals, which were all dismissed.
In an attempt to evade extradition to South Africa, he lodged a petition with the European Court of Human Rights, which was also unsuccessful.
Lomas was eventually brought back to South Africa earlier today under UK police guard before he was handed over to South African law enforcers at OR Tambo International Airport.
Explaining events that led to Lomas’ first arrest, before he skipped bail, Investigating Directorate Against Corruption spokesperson Henry Mamothame said: “The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation in collaboration with prosecutors from IDAC, conducted an intensive investigation into the alleged corruption at Kusile power station, wherein 11 other accused are facing similar charges.
“Following the arrest and court appearance of the 11 accused which include Eskom’s former executives and Tubular Construction Projects directors, the Asset Forfeiture Unit was granted a restraint order valued at approximately R1,4 billion against their assets.”
The matter for the 11 accused is currently before the Johannesburg High Court.
“Lomas will be charged and processed in the lower court before his matter is combined with the one appearing before the Johannesburg High Court where the matter is prosecuted by IDAC,” explained Mamothame.
