South African authorities are moving forward with legal proceedings against Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso, despite his acquittal on rape charges last month.
Omotoso, who leads the Jesus Dominion International Church with branches in several countries, including the UK, Nigeria, France, and Israel, had denied 32 charges of sexually assaulting young women from his church in Port Elizabeth.
One of his accusers alleged she was raped by the pastor when she was just 14 years old.
Although Omotoso was found not guilty, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is set to appeal the judgment, citing no requirement for his presence.
South African prosecutors acknowledged there were no legal grounds to prevent Omotoso from leaving the country after his acquittal, but noted that if the appeal succeeds, they would apply for his extradition back to South Africa under the bilateral extradition treaty between the two countries.
Omotoso was first arrested in 2017 and has since been classified as an “undesirable person” by South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs, barring him from returning to the country for five years.
