The Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha, South Africa, on Wednesday acquitted popular Nigerian televangelist Tim Omotoso of all charges related to rape.
The court ruled that the state prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the 66-year-old pastor was guilty of the allegations against him.
Omotoso had been embroiled in legal battles for the past eight years, during which he was jailed in South Africa on charges of rape and sexual assault.
The senior pastor of Jesus Dominion International Church faced 32 charges, including sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
However, presiding judge Irma Schoeman criticized the prosecution’s handling of the case.
While she acknowledged that Omotoso’s explanations were “improbable,” she ruled that the burden of proof had not been met. As a result, Omotoso and his two co-accused were acquitted.
Omotoso was arrested in 2017 following accusations that he had handpicked young women from his congregation and coerced them into sexual acts under the pretense of spiritual guidance.
Some of the women who testified against him were members of a gospel music group he founded, Grace Galaxy, while others were still in school at the time of the alleged incidents.
