Eskom contractor Michael Lomas’ extradition hearing set for December

The West Minister Magistrate’s Court in London has set the trial date for the extradition hearing of the United Kingdom-based businessman Michael Lomas to 20 and 21 December, said the NPA’s Investigating Directorate (ID) on Friday.

This after the ID brought an extradition application through the UK central authorities to invoke the European Convention on Extradition 1957, and the UN Convention against Corruption 2003, to assist in bringing Lomas back to South Africa.

Lomas made a brief second appearance at the London court on Thursday following his arrest last month.

He was granted bail of R 1.7 million and surety in the sum of about R4.3 million, among other stringent bail conditions.

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Kusile project

Lomas is the former board chairperson of Tubular Construction, a company that was contracted to Eskom’s Kusile project in Mpumalanga, and accused of paying millions in bribes.

He is also expected to join his co-accused on 1 June 2021 in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court when the case resumes.

His co-accused are former Eskom executives Abram Masango and France Hlakudi, businessman Maphoko Kgomoeswana and Tubular Construction CEO Antonio Trindade. They were arrested in December 2019.

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The were also served with an R1.4 billion assets restraint order on 4 May, after the ID applied to the High Court.

Their assets are now under the supervision of a curator appointed by the court.

Their charge sheets include fraud, corruption, money laundering, offering unauthorised gratuities and receiving unauthorised gratuities in connection with the multibillion-rand Kusile power plant.

Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde. Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa