BLOEMFONTEIN - Charges against former G4S employee Motanyane Masukela -- accused Number Five in the Thabo Bester escape trial -- have been withdrawn.
The state confirmed this during a pretrial hearing underway at the High Court in Bloemfontein.
Thabo Bester and his remaining co-accused are back in the dock.
The trial is scheduled to begin next month, but the proceedings could hit yet another snag.
This high-profile matter has already faced several postponements due to defence requests for more evidence.