WATCH | ‘Cat’ Matlala withdraws plea deal after court rejects lenient sentence

WATCH | 'Cat' Matlala withdraws plea deal after court rejects lenient sentence

Pretoria – Tenderpreneur Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala has withdrawn from his plea agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), bringing an end to the deal after the court rejected the proposed sentence as too lenient.

Matlala appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court on Monday, where his lawyer confirmed that he would not accept the court’s proposed sentence, effectively nullifying the plea agreement.

Last week, Magistrate Ignatius Du Preez rejected the agreement, under which Matlala had pleaded guilty to corruption, fraud and money laundering linked to a R228 million South African Police Service (SAPS) health services contract awarded to his company, Medicare24 Tshwane District.

As part of the deal, Matlala had agreed to testify as a state witness for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).

The court found the proposed sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, with seven years suspended, to be too lenient as it would have resulted in Matlala serving only eight years behind bars.

Magistrate Du Preez instead proposed an effective sentence of 12 years’ direct imprisonment.

On Monday, Matlala informed the court that he intended to withdraw from the plea agreement rather than accept the tougher sentence.

With the plea agreement now abandoned, sentencing has fallen away and the matter has been postponed to 11 September, when the corruption, fraud and money laundering case linked to the high-profile Medicare24 tender is expected to proceed to trial.

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