The initial plea deal would have seen Matlala only spending eight years behind bars
Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala has turned down a plea deal that would have seen him spend an effective 12 years in jail.
Matlala had previously accepted a deal that would see him sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment, with seven years suspended. This would have meant he would only have got eight years of jail time.
However, the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court found this proposed sentence too lenient.
The tenderpreneur has pleaded guilty to charges of corruption, money laundering and fraud linked to a R228 million health services contract awarded to his company, Medicare24 Tshwane District, by the South African Police Service (Saps).
As part of the deal, Matlala committed to testifying as a state witness in collaboration with the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (Idac).
