Jackie Selebi, the head of the international police organisation, Interpol, and South Africa's national police chief, is set to be charged with two counts of corruption.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Friday that attempts by his legal team to prevent his prosecution had failed.
"A decision has been made, he will be charged with corruption and defeating the ends of justice," Tlali Tlali, a spokesman for the NPA in Cape Town, said.
Selebi, an ally of Thabo Mbeki, the South African president, has denied any wrongdoing.
Selebi's indictment covers a range of offences, including receiving payments from his friend, Glenn Agliotti, a convicted drug smuggler accused of playing a role in the murder of a South African mining magnate, Brett Kebble in 2005.
clipped from: english.aljazeera.net