A U.S. federal court has dismissed the criminal case against former FBI Director James Comey, one of the fiercest critics of then-President Donald Trump. The judge ruled that the prosecutor who led the case had been appointed on an acting basis without fully meeting the legal requirements for the position, which undermined the validity of the indictment.

As a result, the proceedings against Comey have been halted, and the decision is seen as a setback for efforts to pursue criminal charges against high-profile figures who clashed with the White House. The indictment had been filed in late September, at a time of intense political pressure on the justice system. Comey faced allegations of false testimony and obstruction of an investigation tied to his statements before Congress.

The charges came after repeated calls from the president to take action against people he regarded as enemies, in a climate of growing tension between the Executive Branch and the institutions tasked with investigating possible abuses of power. The case carries major symbolic weight because Comey led the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential links between Moscow and members of Trump’s campaign team.

His dismissal in 2017, while that inquiry was still under way, had already sparked controversy and raised suspicions of political interference. The collapse of the charges now reinforces the perception that the judicial machinery may be used to punish perceived opponents and fuels the debate over where to draw the line between political struggle and respect for prosecutorial and judicial independence.