South Africa's police chief and the head of Interpol, Jackie Selebi, stepped down from both jobs at the weekend after prosecutors said they intend to charge him with bribery and defeating the ends of justice over his "generally corrupt relationship" with a convicted drug trafficker who is on trial for murder.

Mr Selebi told the international police agency he was stepping down "in the best interests of Interpol and out of respect for the global law enforcement community" amid further revelations about the charges he is to face.

On Saturday, President Thabo Mbeki agreed to what he described as Mr Selebi's request to be placed on an indefinite leave of absence as South Africa's police chief.

Mr Selebi is expected to be formally charged this week with accepting at least 1.2m rand (EUR 120,000) from Glen Agliotti, a convicted drug trafficker who is awaiting trial accused of murdering a corrupt mining magnate, Brett Kebble. In return the police chief is alleged to have protected narcotics shipments and passed on to Agliotti confidential intelligence reports from Britain about his trafficking operations. .

According to South African press reports yesterday, the indictment also accuses Mr Selebi of accepting $30,000 (EUR 20,000) from a fugitive Zimbabwean businessman, Billy Rautenbach, in exchange for him trying to use his office to cancel an international arrest warrant.

Mr Selebi has vigorously denied the accusations against him. TI-Guardian service, 14/01/08.