The saying that one can run but can’t hide may have just been proven true in the life of former Eskom contractor Michael Lomas, who was out of South Africa when he was accused of corruption alongside four others in the R745m Kusile power station.
The four accused were arrested and according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Lomas failed to cooperate with investigators, leading to an application to get him extradited to South Africa to face corruption charges.
The NPA, via ins Investigative Directorate (ID), had reached out to the British authorities to facilitate the extradition. The directorate’s director advocate Andrea Johnson acknowledged this much when he noted that the process was lengthy but ultimately a judgment was given by the Westminster magistrate’s court to have Lomas extradited, and he is pleased with that.
With his extradition affirmed, Lomas is expected to appear before the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on 5 April 2023. It remains to be seen how the case will turn out then.
Eskom is currently facing severe technical glitches which had led to calls for the chief executive, Andre de Ruyter, to resign. After ignoring the calls, he did eventually step down from the top position and indicated he’d be taking a break from corporate life.
