‘I’m not doing well’ – Lomas spends first night in custody following extradition

Michael Lomas

Johannesburg — Corruption-accused former Eskom contractor, Michael Lomas, spent his first night behind bars on Friday evening following his extradition to South Africa.

Lomas (77) was extradited to South Africa as he faced multiple charges of corruption linked to a R1.5 billion Eskom scandal. Lomas made a brief appearance in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court where he is to answer to the alleged R745 million he received after manipulating contracts in the scandal that were meant for the upgrade of the Kusile power station between 2014 and 2017, The Citizen reported.

He faces charges of fraud, money laundering and corruption along with a host of other former Eskom executives, as well as Tubular Construction Projects CEO, Tony Trindade.

The indictment alleges Masango and Hlakudi fraudulently pushed for Tubular Construction Projects to be awarded a R745-million contract, signed in April 2016, to build air-cooled condensers at Eskom’s Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga.

Lomas had been arrested before and was granted bail. He fled to the UK and was arrested in London in 2021 but was rereleased on bail. A London court ruled that he could return to South Africa after authorities promised to monitor his health.

He arrived in South Africa in a wheelchair and a neck brace, and when he made his first public media appearance, he revealed he was not doing well, Newzroom Afrika reported.

“No, I’m not doing well,” he said when asked by reporters. He explained the reason for his neck brace was an “ACDF in the front, Laminectomy (pointing to the side of his neck) and foreignatomy,” he added.

Lomas also said his extradition was handled very well but did not comment on the allegations levelled against him.

The Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, said Lomas had launched an application to the European Court of Human Rights to escape his extradition, but he was unsuccessful.
Mamothame added that Lomas will be charged and processed in a lower court before his matter is combined with the one set to take place in the Johannesburg High Court.
According to SABC News, civil society organsation – Accountability Now – said Lomas must accept responsibility for his actions. Executive director, Paul Hoffman, said the kind of corruption Lomas is implicated in affects ordinary South Africans and it is vital for the cases to be prosecuted.
“The money in this case is money that belongs to the taxpayers of South Africa and as such it’s really quite important that we bear in mind that the corruption here has a direct impact on the people of South Africa,” he said.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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