Matlala to rejoin co-accused in R228 million Medicare corruption case
The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court postponed the Medicare24 case against Matlala and his companies to 29 September.
Tenderpreneur Vusimuzi "Cat" Matlala and his two companies, Medicare24 and Luxo Africa Brand Investments, are set to rejoin the Medicare 24 Tshwane District contract case on September 29th. The Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court postponed the case against the trio on Friday, leading to their re-entry into the proceedings.
The case involves an R228 million health services contract awarded to Matlala's company by the South African Police Service (Saps). This follows a previous separation of the case from that of other accused individuals, which occurred after Matlala expressed interest in a plea and sentence agreement with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) in June.
The initial agreement, which involved pleading guilty to corruption, money laundering, and fraud, was rejected by Magistrate Ignatius du Preez for being too lenient, resulting in a new 12-year prison sentence being proposed. Matlala declined the court's suggested sentence, rendering the plea agreement null and void. Consequently, he and his companies will now face a full trial at the Pretoria Regional Court on September 29th.
The National Prosecuting Authority, through Idac, remains committed to holding accountable those involved in the unlawful awarding of public contracts.
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