UK court grants South African extradition request in R745-million Eskom fraud case
A UK court granted South African prosecutors the right to extradite a British national implicated in an alleged fraudulent deal with state-owned power utility Eskom.
The Westminster Magistrates Court in London issued a judgment on Thursday that Michael Lomas’s extradition be sent to the UK secretary of state, South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority said in a statement on Friday.
South African authorities have announced a series of arrests and prosecutions this year in their efforts to hold to account those suspected of participating in rampant corruption during the scandal-marred rule of former President Jacob Zuma.
His successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, has staked his presidency on rooting out the graft that decimated state institutions and cost the economy an estimated 500 billion rand ($28.4 billion).
Lomas first appeared in court last year over Eskom’s payment of 745 million rand to Tubular Construction Projects for work on the utility’s new Kusile power plant. He was granted £100,000 bail and submitted additional surety of £250,000.
Lomas has seven days to appeal the UK court’s decision on his extradition, the NPA said.
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