A British businessman who was a former contractor for South Africa’s troubled energy firm Eskom has been extradited from the UK to face corruption and fraud costs.
Michael Lomas is accused of taking kickbacks in contracts value greater than R1.5bn ($85m: £64m) between his firm Tubular Development and Eskom for the Kusile energy station.
“He’s suspected of contract manipulation. He was beforehand arrested, launched on bail and fled to the UK,” nationwide police spokesman Brigadier Atlunda Matt instructed AFP.
He has but to touch upon the allegations towards him.
South Africa’s state electrical energy firm (Eskom) has been dogged by corruption allegations and is struggling to recuperate from years of mismanagement that left the nation with out energy for lengthy durations of time.
Mr Lomas arrived at Johannesburg’s Oliver Reginald Tambo Airport early on Friday morning. He was in a wheelchair and was closely escorted by police.
Ms Matt instructed native information web site News24 that one of many circumstances for extradition was to have a physician on board the aircraft as a result of Mr Lomas was unwell.
He shall be formally charged at Kempton Park Magistrates’ Courtroom in a while Friday.
A request by the Nationwide Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to extradite Mr Lomas in 2022 was delayed whereas he lodged an enchantment and was finally dismissed.
He was charged together with 4 different alleged co-conspirators – two senior managers of South Africa’s State Energy Company and two different businessmen. They had been arrested in 2019.
4 different males have been charged with fraud, cash laundering and corruption for allegedly accepting kickbacks and inflating the price of work on the Kusler energy plant.
The transfer is meant to assist alleviate South Africa’s extreme energy shortages, however the undertaking has been stricken by delays and breakdowns, based on AFP.
Matt stated Lomas was a “needed fugitive” and can be handed over to the Hawks police unit, which investigates financial crime, corruption and arranged crime.
Hawks has been engaged on the case since 2017, when an worker made a grievance about one of many tenders.
