Cape Town - Son editor Andrew Koopman resigned on Thursday with immediate effect, following his suspension on January 15 pending an internal investigation.
Koopman's resignation follows the dismissal of Son layout sub-editor Janice Ohlson, who was arrested earlier this month and charged on 140 counts of fraud.
A email sent to staff Chief Executive Officer of Media24 Esmaré Weideman said: "While we have accepted Andrew’s resignation, we wish to emphasise that he was not implicated in the fraud charges and is not under investigation for any criminal activity. Andrew has served Media24 diligently for the past 15 years and the company wishes to thank him for his contribution."
Neil Scott, news editor of Son, will continue in the role of acting editor, Weideman said.
Ohlson, 40, from Parow, and businessman Munier Abrahams, 41, from Portlands in Mitchells Plain were arrested on January 11 following a year-long investigation.
Ohlson was arrested at her workplace in the Media24 building on the Foreshore and Abrahams at his business, Executive Car Hire, in Epping.
The two were nabbed after allegedly fraudulently issuing documents to employ drag queen and whistle-blower Queeny Madikizela-Malema as a ghost writer.
Sylvano Hendricks, alias Queeny, was convicted of fraud for running a pyramid scheme and released on parole in 2014. She has since served her full sentence and is now a free person.
Queeny is believed to have links to gang bosses, top cops and local politicians, and became known as a whistle-blower when she claimed top cop Major-General Jeremy Vearey was corrupt and colluded with gangsters in an affidavit given to Community Safety MEC Dan Plato, which was later leaked to the media.
Cops say Ohlson and Abrahams issued a false work schedule to the Department of Correctional Services, to allow Queeny to move freely in the Western Cape “to commit crime”.
The pair were released on bail of R5 000 each and Queeny will be in court on March 15.