Nigerian Pastor Timothy Omotoso has been found NOT guilty by the Gqeberha High Court on all charges laid against him.
Omotoso and his two co-accused Lusanda Sulani and Zukiswa Sitho returned to the dock where Judge Irma Schoeman handed down the judgement.
He was cleared of rape and human trafficking by Judge Schoeman.
Omotoso faced 63 charges with his co-accused, but the Court found the evidence presented against them insufficient.
Sulani and Sitho were accused of having played a major role in recruiting young women to join the church for Omotoso to sexually abuse them.
And according several witnesses, those new recruits were made to stay and stay at church’s mission houses in Durban.
The three accused maintained their innocence throughout the trial, and after EIGHT years in prison, Omotoso is now a free man.
He was first arrested in 2017 on multiple charges, including sexual assault, human trafficking, and racketeering.
And the trial dragged for years due to various reasons, including changes in legal representation and judicial recusals.
At some point, Omotoso’s lawyers attempted to have the case against their client thrown out.
NIGERIAN PASTOR OMOTOSO A FREE MAN, HERE IS WHY…
Handing down her judgment on Wednesday, Judge Schoeman said the State failed in their attempt to prove these allegations against Omotoso beyond reasonable doubt.
She also bemoaned the cross-examination of the accused as of poor quality, and therefore, the three acussed were found NOT guilty.
Upon digesting the ruling, two accused led by Omotoso went down on their knees inside the Court room to pray.
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