High-Profile corruption trial of Popo Maja faces February delay

The high-profile trial for corruption charges against Popo Maja, has been rescheduled to 13 February to set a trial date.

Appearing at the Pretoria specialised commercial crimes court on a Wednesday, Maja faces two counts of corruption amounting to R15,000.

ALSO READ:Senior Health official implicated in corruption of Digital Vibes saga

He(Joseph Popo Maja) was initially granted bail of R5,000 following his first court appearance in June.

High-profile corruption trial postponed

The senior official in the national health department’s high-profile corruption trial has been rescheduled to 13 February to set a trial date.

In 2019, supposedly Maja was chosen to join a committee that decided on a communication services provider for the Health Insurance bill.

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In a meeting on November 1, 2019, where they assessed bids based on functionality and technical elements, they suggested Digital Vibes for a contract of over R141 million annually.

On that precise day, it’s claimed that R10,000 was transferred from Digital Vibes’ account to Maja’s individual bank account.

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According to Times Live, one month after precisely on 5 December 2019.

There was allegedly another transfer of R5,000 into Maja’s personal bank account by Digital Vibes.

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Sought a bail modification

Recently, Maja, with the assistance of his attorney, sought a modification of a bail condition.

Seeking permission to report to the investigating officer solely when departing Gauteng.

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“His attorney told the court Maja had already been demoted at work in relation to the matter and could only afford R5,000.

He also told the court Maja had co-operated with the state since the inception of the matter and was therefore not a flight risk.”

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