The Babita Deokaran case returns to court on Tuesday when the six men who were arrested and charged with the whistleblower’s murder almost two years ago are now expected to plead guilty to the crime.
A high-ranking official in the Gauteng Department of Health, Deokaran was gunned down outside her south Joburg home on 23 August 2023.
In the weeks leading up to her death, she had flagged hundreds of millions of rands in dodgy payments out of Tembisa Hospital and it appears she was assassinated.
In the days following Babita Deokaran’s death, six men were arrested and charged with her murder, as well as with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
They were subsequently denied bail.
The accused before court are thought to be hitmen who were hired for the job and who hired them, is still not clear.
They were scheduled to go on trial last month but after a series of postponements, it emerged last week that they’ve been negotiating with the State behind the scenes and were at the time finalising a plea and sentence agreement.
The terms thereof remain unknown for now but the case has been postponed to Tuesday for that plea and sentence agreement to be entered.
-EWN
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