NDPP withdraws charges against national police commissioner Fannie Masemola

The National Director of Public Prosecution (NDPP) has decided to withdraw charges against suspended National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola, who faced four charges related to the South African Police Service-Medicare24 tender scandal. Advocate Andy Mothibi, representing the NDPP, formally instructed the withdrawal of the charges.

Masemola was arrested by the Independent Directorate Against Corruption (IDAC) following a review of the charges and his arrest. The decision to withdraw the charges came after Mothibi received formal representations from Masemola's legal team asking the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to review and withdraw the charges. The NPA's review of the case was prompted by concerns that the charges against Masemola were being pursued without a reasonable expectation of a successful prosecution, violating the NPA's policy directives.

The NPA spokesperson, Kaizer Kganyago, stated that the charges were withdrawn following a review of the evidence gathered by IDAC, a report by the Case Assessment Panel, and an independent senior counsel's report. The NDPP confirmed that they will report the case to the IDAC judge to assess the circumstances surrounding the prosecution team's evaluation of the evidence and the application of the law.

Additionally, the NPA received representations from Masemola's lawyers, which were taken into consideration but did not influence the decision to withdraw the charges.