Australian mining billionaire's criminal case against Facebook dropped due to insufficient evidence

Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest's criminal case against Meta, the social media giant, over cryptocurrency scam ads featuring his image has been dropped by government prosecutors. Private prosecutions are uncommon in Australia, and serious charges like those brought by Forrest require a higher court and prosecution by the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP). The CDPP did not provide a reason for the case's discontinuation, but stated that there was insufficient evidence to proceed. Despite his recent separation from his wife, Forrest, who is worth $18.7 billion, remains committed to his business and philanthropic endeavors, including the Minderoo Foundation, and has shifted his focus to green energy. He has vowed to continue his fight for legal reform that would allow action to be taken against foreign-owned social media platforms like Facebook.