A South African court has acquitted Nigerian televangelist Tim Omotoso of all 32 charges against him, eight years after he was first jailed over allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Judge Irma Schoeman of the Eastern Cape High Court ruled on Wednesday that the prosecution had mishandled the case against Omotoso, 66, who is the senior pastor of Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church in South Africa.
Omotoso, who was arrested in 2017, dropped to his knees and appeared to pray after the verdict was announced.
The charges against him included sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Judge Schoeman acknowledged that some of Omotoso’s explanations seemed unlikely but said the prosecution had failed to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Two of his assistants, who also faced charges, were acquitted as well.
“The accused are found not guilty and are discharged on all charges,” the judge stated.
Several women had testified that Omotoso handpicked them from his church, and after each alleged encounter, he would pray for forgiveness.
Some of these women were members of a gospel girl band he had created, called Grace Galaxy, while others were still in school at the time of the alleged incidents.
As the verdict was read, dozens of protesters gathered outside the court in the city of Gqeberha, demanding justice in a country struggling with high levels of sexual violence.
The ruling comes amid growing public outcry over gender-based violence in South Africa.
Just a day before, thousands of people protested in several cities, calling for action after a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped at her school last year. No arrests have been made in that case.
According to police data, 42,500 rape cases were reported in South Africa during the 2023-24 financial year.
