A court in South Africa has thrown out fraud and corruption charges against opposition leader Julius Malema.
Malema had been accused of money laundering, racketeering and fraud relating to government contracts.
Judge George Mothle said he had waited too long for his trial after a string of postponements, and told him: “You are free to go.” Reuters reported.
According to Reuters, the National Prosecuting Authority said the move did not constitute an acquittal and the action could be revived at a later date.
A political analyst, Nic Borain said that the outcome was an embarrassment and showed the state’s “general incompetence to assemble a case”.
Malema had regularly dismissed the charges as a government conspiracy to silence and discredit him.
Malema told journalists and supporters outside the High Court that he was an innocent man, further stating ” there are no allegations whatsoever but i knw, because we are dealing with dogs, they are going to manufacture something new. They are free to do that.”
He was charged in 2012 with money laundering, racketeering and corruption related to a government contract worth $4m
He now heads the ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters which is the largest opposition group. Malema presents himself as a champion for impoverished blacks whose lives have changes little since the apartheid regime ended in 1994.
Malema was accused of improperly receiving the cash for the contract in a conspiracy involving state tenders.
