National police commissioner Jackie Selebi has quit as head of international crime-fighting body Interpol, the organisation said on Sunday. The news follows President Thabo Mbeki's announcement on Saturday that Selebi, who faces allegations of corruption, fraud, racketeering and defeating the course of justice, was going on extended leave of absence.

Interpol said in a statement that it had received a letter from Selebi "formalising" his resignation as Interpol president with immediate effect. "As his letter makes clear, Mr Selebi's decision to resign was made in the best interests of Interpol and out of respect for the global law enforcement community that it serves," it said. "The allegations against Mr Selebi relate to his capacity as commissioner of police for South Africa and have nothing to do with his position as president of Interpol or the work of the organisation."

Earlier, after the National Prosecuting Authority's announcement on Friday that was ready to charge the police chief, Interpol had declined to comment, merely saying its executive committee would meet in February to discuss the matter.

Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble said on Sunday that Selebi, who was elected to the presidency in 2004, had always acted "in a way to enhance global security and police co-operation world-wide". He added that corruption was one of the most serious offences that any police official could be accused of. "Interpol believes that any such allegations should be prosecuted thoroughly, and the proper manner is for charges to be brought promptly before a court of law and not through media leaks and speculation." he said, in an apparent dig at the NPA.

The NPA's indictment against Selebi covers charges that include receiving corrupt payments totalling R1.2 million from his friend Glenn Agliotti, a convicted drug smuggler accused of playing a role in the 2005 murder of mining magnate Brett Kebble.

In court papers filed at the Pretoria High Court on Friday, where Selebi tried unsuccessfully to quash the looming charges, acting national director of public prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe said the charges against him were based on "a strong prima facie case supported by the testimony of a range of witnesses and corroborated by real evidence".

Mpshe said the payments by Agliotti took place in 2004 and 2005 -- when Selebi was already head of Interpol. Mpshe said Selebi had turned a blind eye to Agliotti's involvement in transporting a large quantity of Mandrax.
Selebi had also released confidential intelligence reports from United Kingdom authorities on Agliotti's drug activities, and tipped Agliotti off that he had been identified in the course of the Kebble murder investigation.

Announcing that Selebi was going on leave, Mbeki said on Saturday: "I must say that he himself was of the view that it should happen, so that whatever might happen in the courts about him he ought not to be sitting at police headquarters."

Mbeki has appointed Timothy Williams, deputy national commissioner responsible for crime intelligence, to act in Selebi's place. The Young Communist League (YCL) said on Sunday it was "perplexed" by Mbeki's "inconsistency" in merely allowing Selebi to go on leave, when he fired then-deputy president of the country Jacob Zuma in 2005
when Zuma was facing corruption charges.

"The only substantive conclusions and reasons we can make... is that the former (Selebi) is being done a friendly favour by the president," the YCL said.

The Independent Democrats (ID) said they were pleased that Selebi had "finally" resigned from Interpol. "It was especially important that he resigned, considering
allegations that he compromised Interpol by sharing confidential information with members of the criminal underworld," ID leader Patricia de Lille said. De Lille said President Mbeki should also explain the details of the
extended leave he had put the Commissioner on.

"President Mbeki must explain to us whether Selebi is on full pay. He doesn't deserve any pay because -- if the allegations against him are true then he was a disgrace to South Africa and the world," De Lille said. She said taxpayers' money would be better spent in other
crucial areas.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) said if jail terms were handed down for bringing shame to a nation, Selebi should serve a life sentence. "This teacher-cum-political appointment has been seen to be so mired in the muck of the criminal underworld that Selebi had no reputation left to protect," said DA spokeswoman on Safety and Security, Dianne Kohler Barnard.

She said Selebi had no option whatsoever, but to resign as
Chairperson of Interpol -- a position that should have brought immense honour to this country.