A British businessman, Michael Lomas, formerly contracted by South Africa’s struggling power utility Eskom, has been extradited from the UK to face 65 counts of corruption.
Lomas is accused of receiving kickbacks on contracts worth over 1.4 billion rand (approximately $80 million or £60 million) between his company, Tubular Construction, and Eskom for work at the Kusile power station.
According to national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, Lomas allegedly manipulated contracts and had previously been arrested, released on bail, and fled to the UK. He has not commented on the charges.
Eskom has faced numerous corruption allegations and is reeling from years of mismanagement, leading to ongoing blackouts in South Africa. Lomas arrived at OR Tambo Airport in Johannesburg on Friday morning, in a wheelchair and under heavy police escort. Due to his poor health, a medical doctor accompanied him on the flight.
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He made a brief appearance in Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court before the case was adjourned. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) sought Lomas’s extradition in 2022, but it was delayed due to multiple appeals on his part, which were ultimately rejected.
Lomas is one of 12 alleged co-conspirators, including two senior Eskom executives and other businessmen, who were arrested in 2019. Their case is still ongoing in the Johannesburg High Court. All have been charged with fraud, money laundering, and corruption for allegedly taking kickbacks and inflating costs related to the Kusile power station project, which was intended to alleviate South Africa’s severe electricity shortages but has faced numerous delays and issues.
Mathe stated that Lomas was considered a “wanted fugitive” and would be transferred to the Hawks, a police unit specializing in economic crime, corruption, and organized crime. The investigation into this case has been ongoing since 2017, when a complaint was filed regarding one of the tenders.
