By Deborah Nnamdi
A South African court on Wednesday acquitted Nigerian televangelist Tim Omotoso of all 32 charges against him, eight years after his arrest on accusations of rape and sexual assault.
Judge Irma Schoeman of the Eastern Cape High Court ruled that the prosecution had mishandled the case against Omotoso, the senior pastor of Jesus Dominion International (JDI), a South Africa-based church.
Omotoso, 66, who was arrested in 2017, dropped to his knees in apparent prayer after being declared not guilty of charges that included sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
While acknowledging that the pastor’s explanations seemed improbable, Schoeman stated that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt against Omotoso and his two co-accused.
“The accused are found not guilty and are discharged on all the charges,” the judge ruled.
Several women had testified that Omotoso handpicked them and engaged in sexual encounters, after which he would pray for forgiveness. Some of the alleged victims were members of a gospel group called Grace Galaxy, founded by the pastor, while others were still in school.
As the verdict was announced in the eastern coastal city of Gqeberha, dozens of women protested outside the court, reflecting widespread outrage over gender-based violence in South Africa.
The ruling came amid heightened concerns over the country’s high rates of sexual violence.
Naija Daily News reports a day before the verdict said, thousands of people rallied in various cities, demanding justice after a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped at her school last year, as no arrests have been made in that case.
According to police statistics, South Africa recorded 42,500 reported rapes in the 2023-24 financial year.
