By Johnathan Paoli
The case against suspended National Police Commissioner General Fannie Masemola, Vusimusi “Cat” Matlala and several senior police officers has been postponed to the end of June.
Masemola faces charges relating to alleged breaches of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) in the awarding of a R228 million SAPS healthcare tender (revised down from R360 million by the NPA) to one of Matlala’s companies, while Matlala and the other co-accused face charges including fraud, corruption and money laundering linked to the tender.
The men appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning,
The matter was postponed for further investigations, verification processes and disclosure of the police docket to the defence teams.
During proceedings, the state told the court that investigators had obtained new evidence and required at least six weeks to finalise the verification of bank statements and other financial records tied to the matter.
The state said further financial analysis was still underway and that investigators needed additional time to verify transactions linked to several accused persons.
Matlala’s legal representative also brought an application requesting that his client remain detained at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Pretoria pending the next court appearance.
Matlala had previously been held at the super-maximum eBongweni Correctional Centre in Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, after being transferred there in December last year.
His legal team argued that keeping him in Pretoria would allow easier access to attorneys and consultations as preparations for the next phase of the case continue.
The court agreed that his continued detention at the Pretoria facility would assist with logistical arrangements ahead of the next hearing.
Matlala remains the only accused currently in custody, while all the other accused persons, including Masemola and the implicated police officers, are out on bail.
