By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A Nigerian television evangelist acquitted of sexual crimes by a South African court is to leave the country on Sunday, local media had reported, just days after prosecutors said they would reopen the case against him.
Timothy Omotoso, who heads the Jesus Dominion International (JDI) church, was accused of raping young women from his church and sexually exploiting them. He was last month found “not guilty” on a 32-count charge, which also included human trafficking.
His acquittal, which drew ire in South Africa, came after he had spent eight years in jail.
Prosecutors mishandled the case, the judge had said.
Omotoso, 66, was to leave from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport for his country of origin, Nigeria, state broadcaster SABC and Newsroom Afrika television said in their reports.
Viral images showed Omotoso at the airport in a grey hoodie and sunglasses, chatting with an immigration official.
AFP quoted a transport ministry official as saying that Omotoso did not have to seek clearance from them before leaving the Southern African country.
Prosecutors had earlier this week said they would appeal against Omotoso’s acquittal for rape and would investigate the team that handled the case.
“The NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) takes the view that there are reasonable prospects of a successful appeal despite the complexities of the legal process,” it said.
Omotoso’s JDI church, headquartered in the eastern South African coastal city of Durban, also has branches in Nigeria and in Israel, according to the South African government.
He was rearrested on 10 May on immigration charges, and the South African government said he was subject to deportation.
A magistrate’s court this week ordered his release, holding that he could not be detained for more than 48 hours without being charged.
