Fannie Masemola will still have to appear in court for the charges to be formally withdrawn

🌐 Here's What Happened

South African prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against the country's suspended police chief after concluding there was insufficient evidence to secure a conviction.

General Fannie Masemola was charged in April with failing in his duties to provide proper oversight in his role following a health contract that became the subject of a criminal investigation. He denied the charges.

President Cyril Ramaphosa subsequently placed him on precautionary suspension while the criminal case was underway.

📌 Key Details

Following a review of the case, state prosecutors said on Tuesday they were satisfied there were "no reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution" against Masemola.

Masemola, 62, was accused of failing to act on fraud warnings in the awarding of a controversial $21m (£15.5m) health tender that was later cancelled.

A dozen senior police officers have since been formally charged over their role in awarding the contract to provide health service to the police. The allegations emerged at a national inquiry examining allegedly widespread corruption involving police officers and politicians.

Andy Mothibi, the National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP) on Tuesday ordered the charges against Masemola to be withdrawn after reviewing evidence gathered by the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC).

Mothibi said pursuing a case without sufficient evidence was not in the public interest.

Prosecutors will investigate the circumstances surrounding the decision to prosecute Masemola to establish whether there was any misconduct in the assessment of the evidence and the application of the law, Mothibi said.

📰 Source: BBC Africa