Julius Malema, the leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters, has been cleared of tax charges, freeing him to fight another battle in his bid to challenge the ANC for power. Yesterday, the SA Revenue Service dropped its sequestration case against him after months of court wrangling.The decision paves the way for Malema to continue being a thorn in the side of parliament and will, we hope, remove suspicions that SARS was politically motivated in pursuing him.When Malema was brought to court and told that he owed millions in unpaid taxes his supporters said the case was politically motivated.They pointed fingers at the ANC and President Jacob Zuma.With the EFF and Malema so active in parliament, the case took on a political dimension.There were concerns that politicians were using the case to advance their agendas.SARS's integrity has been restored and it is clear that its management treats each case on its merits.The focus now shifts to those within our political sphere who use every trick in the book to avoid answering questions in a court of law.For our democratic institutions, including our courts, to be respected those elected to leadership should never be perceived to be attempting to evade the law.It is worrying that some South Africans believe that political leaders are above the law - that the higher your political connections, the slimmer the chances that you will be convicted.The eventual granting of medical parole to Clive Derby-Lewis, who supplied the gun used by the killer of SA Communist Party leader Chris Hani, also restored legitimacy to our parole system.Let no leader tarnish the reputation of our institutions...