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Lomas's previous bail application was postponed in October last year to allow the state to share the case docket with the defence.
The 77-year-old Lomas appeared in the Johannesburg High Court. Picture: iStock
Eskom graft-accused Michael Lomas has been granted R2 million bail.
The 77-year-old Lomas appeared in the Johannesburg High Court, where the judgment in his bail application was handed down.
A frail-looking Lomas sat in the dock as Judge Rean Strydom read out the bail judgement.
Judge Strydom ruled that Lomas’ United Kingdom passport and South African identity document must be “surrendered” to the investigating officer.
Strydom barred Lomas from applying for travel documents and that he must reside at a care home where he would be provided with the necessary assistance.
“The details of the home must be provided to the investing officer,” he said, adding that there must be a smartphone with location services turned on for the investigating officer to monitor the facility.
Strydom ruled that Lomas must not leave the Gauteng jurisdiction without informing the investigating officer.
Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) spokesperson Henry Mamothame told The Citizen that they have taken note of the bail ruling.
“We note and respect the judgement, with stringent conditions attached to it. Our focus will now be on the trial ahead, set to commence on 20 July 2026,” said Mamothame.
Lomas’s previous bail application was postponed in October last year to allow the state to share the case docket with the defence.
The hearing was also delayed so Lomas could undergo medical tests, including MRA scans, at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
Lomas and his 11 co-accused will return to court next July for trial.
Lomas was extradited to South Africa in September 2024 from the United Kingdom in connection with the upgrade of Eskom’s Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga between 2014 and 2017.
British police arrested him in April 2021 at the request of the South African authorities and was subsequently granted bail of £100 000 (R1.7 million at the time).
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Lomas and 11 others, including Eskom’s senior executives and Tubular Construction Projects directors, are facing 65 counts of corruption linked to the R1.4 billion that was meant for the upgrade of Eskom’s Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga between 2014 and 2017.
His co-accused are Abram Masango, a former executive in Eskom’s group capital division; France Hlakudi, a former senior manager in the division; Antonio José Trindade, the owner of Tubular Construction Projects; and Hudson Kgomoeswana, the owner of Babinatlou Business Services.
Seven companies have been charged in the case, which has been postponed multiple times since first coming to court in December 2019.
The state alleges that Eskom paid R745 million to Tubular Construction Projects after Masango and Hlakudi fraudulently advocated for the company to receive a contract to build air-cooled condensers at Kusile.
This led to additional costs for Eskom, escalating the contract’s total to R1.4 billion.
Lomas was indicted with Masango and Hlakudi, as well as the owner of Tubular Construction Projects, Antonio José Trindade, and the owner of Babinatlou Business Services, Maphoko Hudson Kgomoeswana.
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