Nigerian televangelist Pastor Timothy Omotoso who was accused of raping a young woman serving in his Church in Port Elizabeth, South Africa has been cleared of all charges after spending eight years in prison.
Omotoso was arrested and arraigned in court in 2017 on 32 count charges after a woman claimed she was raped by the pastor when she was 14 years. His trial was broadcast live due to the interest the case generated nationwide.
But on Wednesday the court ruled that Omotoso was not guilty because prosecutors had mishandled the case. According to news reports he would be deported back to Nigeria, despite the not guilty verdict.
South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) shared a similar assessment, saying that “former prosecutors in the case acted improperly and the accused were not sufficiently cross-examined by the state”.
The NPA said it would now “consider its legal options” and that the drawn-out nature of the trial was partly down to Mr Omotoso filing numerous legal challenges.
For his part, Mr Omotoso told the media he thanked God for the verdict. Hi co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, were also found not guilty. With BBC reports
