PRETORIA, South Africa (CBS) -- Lieutenant General Vinesh Moonoo addressed a news conference on Thursday (February 21), as South African police investigating Oscar Pistorius for murder pulled their lead detective off the case, after it emerged he himself faces attempted murder charges for shooting at a minibus.
Battling embarrassment in the glare of a global media spotlight, they named the nation's most senior detective, Lieutenant General Vinesh Moonoo, to take over.
Charges against Warrant Office Hilton Botha, the initial lead investigator, over a taxi minibus shooting had been dropped but the National Prosecuting Authority told Reuters they were reinstated on February 4, ten days before Pistorius shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his Pretoria home.
It is not clear whether the dismissal of Botha would affect the athlete's chances of securing release from custody pending his trial.
At the time of the shooting in 2011, Botha was chasing a man accused of murdering a woman and disposing of her dismembered body down a drain, local media said.
A South African judge is likely to decide on Friday (February 22) whether to grant bail to "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius, with prosecutors arguing he is a cold-blooded killer and his lawyers saying he is far too famous to pose any sort of flight risk.