Dr Matthew Lani May Still Face Charges, Awaiting Hawks Investigation
The infamous TikTok personality, ‘doctor’ Matthew Lani, might not be entirely cleared of legal scrutiny.
Lani made an appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court following his arrest at Helen Joseph Hospital on Monday.
His lawyer, Bongani Mabunda, explained that the charges were dropped due to the absence of formal complaints against him. He emphasized that Lani’s TikTok videos were created for content and clarified that his client is not a real doctor.
Bogus Dr Matthew Lani on Tik Tok
Mabunda said that should further developments arise during ongoing investigations, the charge of impersonating a doctor could be reinstated.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) stated that the case was not officially registered and is pending further investigation.
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Phindi Mjonondwane, the NPA spokesperson in Gauteng, disclosed that they have directed the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) to carry out specific inquiries.
“Once those investigations have been complied with, the docket will be brought back to the NPA for a decision on whether or not criminal proceedings should be instituted against the suspect,” she said.
Shortly after Lani’s questionable activities came to light his TikTok account was banned. He then created new accounts, assuring people that the accusations leveled against him were false.
Appearing in a black hoodie and using crutches, Lani denied any knowledge of these accounts and labeled them as fake.
He refrained from addressing whether he had administered medication, if people had purchased medication from him, and if he intended to continue posting content on social media.