Criminal charges against General Fani Masemola, the suspended South African Police Chief, were dropped due to a lack of sufficient evidence to prove wrongdoing. This decision was made by state prosecutors after reviewing the case.
Details of the Case and Charges
General Masemola was accused in April of this year of failing to perform his duties by providing adequate oversight of a health contract that was the subject of a criminal investigation. He has denied these charges, and President Cyril Ramaphosa also suspended him pending the investigation.
After reviewing the case, prosecutors announced on Tuesday that in their view, there was "no reasonable prospect of success in a prosecution" against Masemola. The 62-year-old Masemola had been accused of failing to act on warnings regarding fraud in awarding a controversial $21 million health contract, which has since been canceled.
Consequences and Reactions
Following this decision, twelve senior police officers have been formally charged due to their role in awarding this contract. The charges were part of a national investigation into widespread corruption among police officers and politicians.
Andy Motibi, the National Prosecuting Authority's Director, issued the order to drop charges against Masemola on Tuesday, stating that pursuing a case without sufficient evidence is not in the public interest. However, Masemola must appear in court for the formal dropping of charges.
Acting Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia, welcomed the prosecutors' decision and announced that Masemola and the President would meet to discuss the next steps. No announcement has yet been made by the presidency regarding his return to office.
The investigation into the health contract was raised in a commission called the Madlanga Commission, which was established last year by President Ramaphosa to investigate corruption within the police force. This commission was looking into concerning statements made last year by Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, the provincial police chief, regarding the influence of criminal groups at high levels of government.
Masemola is the third police chief to be investigated criminally during his tenure. Jackie Selebi, the country's most senior police chief, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2010 for accepting bribes from an Italian drug lord. Additionally, in 2017, Khomotso Phahlane was accused of corruption, and although those charges were dropped the following year, he was arrested again in 2019 on similar charges, which he denies.
