Eskom Corruption-Accused Michael Harry Lomas’s Bail Hearing Postponed to 27 September

• Michael Lomas, a former Eskom contractor who faces over 65 counts of corruption relating to a botched Kusile contract, recently appeared in court
• He was linked to a contract worth over R1 billion that was set aside for the upgrading of the Kusile Power station
• His bail application has been postponed after he was successfully extradited from the United Kingdom, where he was arrested in 2021

With nine years' experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a current affairs writer for Briefly News, provided insights into the criminal justice system and high-profile cases in South Africa at Daily Sun.

KEMPTON PARK—Former Eskom contractor Michale Lomas's corruption case has been postponed to 27 September for his bail hearing after he was extradited from the United Kingdom.

Ex-contractor in court

According to a statement Briefly News received from the National Prosecuting Authority, Lomas appeared before the Kempton Park Magistrates Court, which postponed his bail hearing. After his arrest three years ago, He was extradited from the United Kingdom. He unsuccessfully attempted to evade extradition three times when he appealed an extradition order signed by the UK's Minister of State Security in 2023.

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Lomas is facing 65 charges of corruption relating to a tender worth R1.4 billion that was supposed to be used to upgrade the Mpumalanga-based Kusile Power Station between 2014 and 2017. He and 11 others, including former Eskom executives, face similar charges. His case will be heard before the Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crimes Court. He will first appear before a lower court before his case is combined with his co-accuse before the Johannesburg High Court.

Netizens discuss the case

South Africans commenting on @Kimheller3's tweet on X discussed his case. Some commented on his health condition.

Boosting Small and Big Businesses said:

"He's a dead man in a wheelchair. He's just coming back home so that his body cannot be in a foreign country."

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Jamie Hills said:

"I'm interested in who wrote the cheques and authorised the transactions that allowed this to happen."

Boss Man said:

"The alleged Gupta fraud is a joke compared to the past looting that happened at the Eskom New Builds Project."

Tsitso09 said:

"Crime does not pay. To be arrested at this age is a death sentence."

Patricia said:

"Let's do the guy who made R1 billion for a smart city disappear."

Malusi Booi released on bail

In a related article, Briefly News reported that former MMC for Human Settlements Malusi Booi was given bail.

Booi was charged with corruption concerning a R1 billion Human Settlements tender. He and his co-accused received R50,000 bail.

Source: Briefly News