Matthew Lani, a TikTok star was arrested on Sunday after he tried to enter a Johannesburg hospital pretending he was a doctor. However, the charge against Mr Lani was withdrawn on Tuesday, Times Live reported. The 27-year-old was arrested after he tried to bypass security by disguising himself with a surgical mask and stethoscope.
Mr Lani has 300,000 followers on TikTok and he shares medical advice and sells medication online.
On Tuesday, a video of him coming out of the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court surfaced on the internet. He was seen walking with a crutch under his arm and a wound on his lips.
Breaking: Matthew Lani coming out of the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court. It's understood he won't be appearing @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/XXOFEBiNo3
— Kgaugelo| News Girl (@KgaugeloKgaphol) October 31, 2023
He told Times Live, "I just want to go home, eat and sleep."
His lawyer, Dumisani Mabunda said, "The state has no prima facie evidence against him. We have wise prosecutors who read from the docket and they concurred with us that there's no case against him. There will be possible investigations.
"He was facing one charge of impersonating a doctor and as we have already indicated, his conduct was just for entertainment. There's no person who says that he actually consulted with him and paid him as a doctor.
"He's not a qualified doctor," added Mr Mabunda.
Mr Lani told the media outlet that this whole situation has been overwhelming from the day it started. "The past couple of hours have been difficult."
He added that he was considering his future as a social media "doctor".
Earlier, The Gauteng province Department of Health released a statement saying Mr Lani frequently used the Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg where he was caught to "curate misleading content under the pretence that he was a qualified doctor".
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