The Swedish public prosecution department has dropped its investigation into the behaviour of Dutch rapper Joost Klein during this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo.

Klein, whose song Europapa was one of the competition favourites, was disqualified on the day of the final after an incident at Thursday’s rehearsal between him and a camerawoman.

Klein was disqualified after a formal complaint from a camerawoman who said she had been threatened by the Dutch performer.

Dutch broadcaster AvroTros admitted Klein had made a “threatening movement” when he was filmed against his will back stage, which contravened agreements that had been made, but said he had not touched the woman involved.

The Swedish prosecutor said that Klein had “made a movement” that hit the woman’s camera but that it happened “fast” and was interpreted differently by various eyewitnesses.

“Today I have closed the investigation because I cannot prove that the act was capable of causing serious fear or that the man had any such intention”, senior prosecutor Fredrik Jönssonsaid in a statement.

The European Broadcasting Union issued a statement shortly after the original incident saying that the Dutch version of events did not correspond with the witness accounts.

“Joost’s behaviour was in clear breach of contest rules, which are designed to ensure there is a safe working environment for all staff and to protect the production,”  the EBU statement said.

AvroTros said in a statement on Monday that it is “still deeply disappointed the Europa adventure of Joost Klein and of the entire Netherlands was brutally ended in this way.” “From the beginning, we have said that this disqualification was unnecessary and disproportionate and so it now appears to be,” the statement said.

Meeting

AvroTros said it now aims to have a meeting with the EBU at “very short notice” which will “focus on this unjust disqualification”.

“We will also discuss all our other objections about the course of events behind the scenes at the song contest that we previously sent to the EBU in a comprehensive letter of objection, which to date has remained unanswered.”

A number of other contestants have spoken out about the toxic atmosphere at the contest.

Klein is said to be happy and relieved that the investigation is over. “We, as a team, are extremely happy and relieved that there is an end to this period of uncertainty,” a spokesman told news agency ANP. “At last we can speak out – there was never a reason for this case in the first place.”

The EBU has not yet commented on the Swedish prosecutor’s decision.