Wheelchair-bound former Eskom contractor and fugitive Michael Lomas landed at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday.
The South African government, working with the SAPS, Interpol SA and other stakeholders extradited the former contractor at power utility Eskom, who is wanted in connection with the R745 million Kusile fraud and corruption case.
The 77-year-old Lomas, who was arrested in London in 2021, was seen being escorted by SAPS members following his much-anticipated landing.
on Friday national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe indicated that the National Prosecuting Authority's Investigating Directorate (ID), with the help of the Department of Justice and UK-based lawyers, successfully argued for his extradition in 2022.
Mathe said the extradition was made possible by great detective work of the ID, the NPA, the Department of Justice and other agencies that made this possible.
Mathe said: “Credit must be given to the teams that have been working on this case since 2017. In 2017 Hawks investigators received a complaint from an Eskom official on the allegations of corruption on a particular tender that was issued to construct parts of Kusile power station. Our teams then started investigating the case and the NPA’s Investigative Directorate was roped in.
“In 2019, we obtained five warrants of arrest. Four of these were executed successfully, and four suspects were arrested at the time. These included two contractors and two Eskom executives. The fifth suspect we are currently extraditing from the UK had already left the country and we immediately started the process to get him back with the UK authorities.”
Mathe said the process to extradite Lomas was to ensure that he was able to stand trial alongside his co-accused, former Eskom managers who include Frans Hlakudi and Abram Masango, businessman Maphoko Kgomoeswana and Tubular Construction CEO Antonio Trindade.
Hlakudi, Masango, Kgomoeswana and Trindade are facing charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, and offering and receiving unauthorised gratifications.
It has been reported by the ID that Eskom paid R745 million to Tubular Construction Projects, a deal that exposed the state-owned entity to R1.4 billion in costs because of the escalation of the contract.
Last month, a London judge dismissed arguments that seemed to suggest that should Lomas be extradited to South Africa, he would be at a higher risk of suicide.
According to a report, Judge Charles Bourne said: “It is very hard to see how the appellant, a frail elderly man, would succeed in taking his life after being searched for dangerous objects and when surrounded by the escorting team.”
Saturday Star
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