In 2012 EFF leader Julius Malema was charged with corruption together with Lesiba Gwangwa and Kagiso Dichabe.
Malema was granted R10 000 bail, while Gwangwa and Dichabe were given R40 000 each.
They faced more than 50 charges of corruption and racketeering.
This was after the then Public Protector Thuli Madonsela announcement that tenders awarded to On-Point Engineers, a firm linked to Malema's Ratanang Family Trust, was unlawfully awarded tenders by the Limpopo transport department.
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In her report Madonsela found that On-Point and Malema improperly benefited from the contract.
Malema's business partner Gwangwa was the chief executive of On-Point.
Madonsela said the department did not follow proper guidelines in awarding the tender to On-Point.
She also investigated claims that Malema used his political position as then president of the ANC Youth League to influence the awarding of tenders by the department and the Limpopo government in general.
She found that the total amount paid by the department to On-Point in terms of the contract at the end of June 2012 was more than R43.8m.
Madonsela said then: "It is mind-boggling that the stark differences between the bid document and the tax clearance certificate did not disqualify On-Point or present a red flag regarding the possibility of tender fraud."
In her report she said the state attorney should institute legal proceedings against On-Point and shareholders who benefited from the PMU tender, to recover money to which the department was entitled.
At the time Malema complained that Madonsela did not give him an opportunity to be interviewed but Madonsela said this was a lie.
She told Parliament’s portfolio committee on justice that Malema was "not telling the truth”.
Malema had said through his lawyer Nicqui Galaktiou that he declined the opportunity to be interviewed because “a proper and fair process had not been followed”.
In a statement, Malema asked why he was not interviewed during the investigation and only after the release of the provisional report.
“Even though the complaints were lodged in July 2011 in regard to allegations against Mr Malema, the Public Protector investigated the matter for many many months and on 30 July 2012 issued a provisional report," read the statement.
Malema was eventually charged in 2012 with corruption and racketeering charges.
The matter was postponed numerous times until in October 2015 when it was struck off the roll.
Judge George Motlhe of the Polokwane High Court said then that the trial was taking too long which prejudiced the accused who were in court and were ready to proceed. He also ordered that the accused be refunded their bail money.
After the charges were dropped Malema addressed his supporters outside court and told them that the charges were an attempt to silence him but the "judges are refusing to be manipulated by the ruling party".
He praised the judiciary, saying it is "the only leg of the state which keeps this country together".
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) later said the charges against the EFF leader could be reinstated.
NPA spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said: “This is not an acquittal, it is not a verdict as the judge stipulated. The matter was just struck off the roll…possibilities are that the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) with jurisdiction can be approached to issue a certificate to reinstate the matter."
