JOHANNESBURG - A potential plea deal could be on the table for Stefan Govindraju.
Govindraju, a medical doctor and businessman, was arrested at the airport on Friday. He is alleged to have looted R635-million from Tembisa Hospital as part of a massive R2-billion corruption scandal.
READ: Tembisa Hospital tender fraud suspect to appear in court
He appeared in court on Monday and was granted R200,000 bail.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago says the State did not oppose bail because the 37-year-old has been cooperating with authorities since 2023.
Govindraju faces more than 100 charges, including fraud, corruption and money laundering. The State says it is negotiating with him but would not confirm whether this could lead to some or all of the charges being dropped.
“The wheels of justice are moving in relation to the relationship between law enforcement agencies, the Hawks, SIU and ourselves,” says Kganyago.
Kganyago says they will continue engaging with Govindraju on other matters that are still under investigation.
The Tembisa Hospital corruption scandal came to light following the murder of acting Gauteng Health CFO Babita Deokaran, who was killed outside her home in 2021 after raising concerns about fraudulent payments.
Her death prompted the SIU to investigate corruption at Tembisa Hospital.