Court grants Eskom corruption-accused Michael Lomas R2m bail

JOHANNESBURG - The Johannesburg High Court has granted a corruption-accused United Kingdom (UK) citizen R2 million bail for the fraud linked to Eskom’s Kusile power station.  

Seventy-seven-year-old Michael Lomas appeared in the Johannesburg High Court on Monday.

He was extradited from the UK in September to stand trial with his 11 co-accused. 

In 2018, Lomas left South Africa for Namibia before going to the UK.  

A frail-looking Lomas didn’t make his way from the Darl prison holding cells as most accused do but was brought to court by Hawks officials to learn of his fate.  

Lomas argued that his chronic conditions warranted exceptional circumstances, making him eligible for bail despite being charged with a Schedule 5 offence.  

The 77-year-old retired engineer wears a neck brace and uses a walking frame following a cycling accident while he was in the UK.  

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) had strongly argued that Lomas was a flight risk and was categorised as suicidal by two psychiatrists in the UK during his extradition hearing.  

But Judge Rean Strydom ruled against this.  

"Having found that the applicant is not a flight risk and is no longer suicidal, I approached the matter from the perspective that freedom is a precious right protected by the constitution of this country."  

Lomas and his 11 co-accused will only return to court next July for trial.