The criminal case involving allegations that controversial content creator Matthew Lani impersonated a doctor has been concluded.
This is according to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks.
Lani told Sunday World that the Hawks informed his lawyer that an investigation into allegations that he impersonated a medical doctor has been wrapped up.
“The Hawks informed my lawyer that the investigation is complete. I will be summoned to court very soon,” Lani said.
“This is to find out whether the case is being withdrawn or whether the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] is taking it to trial.”
TikTok videos
He said he does not know when he will be summoned to appear before the Johannesburg magistrate’s court to learn his fate, but noted that it will happen before the end of April.
Colonel Katlego Mogale, the spokesperson for the Hawks, said the case docket has been sent to the director of public prosecutions for a decision.
When asked what the director of public prosecutions has decided, NPA regional spokesperson, Phindi Mjonondwane, said the case is still under investigation.
Lani made headlines in October when he allegedly impersonated a medical doctor and recorded a series of videos on TikTok.
In the videos, he could be heard and seen curating content in the hospitals’ corridors.
Security personnel at the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg caught him in October and arrested him.
Lack of evidence
He appeared at the Johannesburg magistrate’s court in October, and the NPA decided not to enrol the case because it said it did not have evidence to sustain the charge or link Lani to the alleged offence.
The NPA instructed the Hawks to investigate in order for it to decide whether criminal proceedings should be instituted against Lani.
Lani said the allegations against him are baseless and without merit.
He said: “My lawyer and I strongly believe that this matter will not proceed.
“The allegations of the GDOH [Gauteng department of health] lack merit, and based on our counter-evidence, which the Hawks have verified, we are very confident [that this matter will not proceed]. I have been cooperating with the investigation from day one.
“I did nothing wrong, and my accusers know that very well. But due to my being a social media personality and this matter having captured the attention of both local and international media, the department decided to use this as a political ploy to make it seem as if they are cracking down on fake doctors in its facilities.
“The truth of the matter is, they are failing and are using me as an example. They failed to do basic research before deciding to defame me and resorting to lying to the public.”
HIV/Aids medication
He said during the Hawks investigations, the police took his iPhone, laptop and iPad as part of their probe. He said the police also questioned his family, friends, and neighbours.
In March, the South African Human Rights Commission closed its investigation into the allegations that Lani was denied his HIV/Aids medication by the department.
The commission said it closed the case because Lani failed to provide the commission with additional evidence to substantiate his claims that the department denied him access to its public health facilities so that he could receive his medication.
Lani told Sunday World that the police confiscated his cellphone after criminal charges against him were withdrawn in 2023.
Thus, he said, he could not respond to the commission’s requests for additional evidence.
