Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso is expected to jet out of the country this afternoon.
Sunday World has been reliably informed that Omotoso has booked a ticket and is expected to leave from OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday.
Should he leave the country, Omotoso will escape attempts by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to have him reincarcerated.
This is after the NPA recently announced plans to appeal an Eastern Cape High Court judgement that acquitted Omotoso and two others of criminal charges, resulting in a public outcry.
Acquitted on all charges
Omotoso was acquitted on all charges in April after the pastor of the Jesus Dominion International Church spent eight years in prison.
He had been accused of luring female congregants to his church and forcing them into sexual acts. He was also accused of restricting their freedom to leave.
His co-accused, senior church members Lusanda Solani and Zikiswa Sitho, were also acquitted. It is unclear if he plans to dash out of the country with Solani and Sitho.
If he does not leave them, the pair could face the reinstated criminal charges without him, should the NPA’s appeal be successful.
Omotoso leaves the country after he was arrested on May 10 as immigration officials tried to deport him.
He was, however, released from police custody after he appeared in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on a charge of contravening the Immigration Act.
Based on this, the department said Omotoso should be deported back to Nigeria.
Omotoso is challenging the decision to deport him. His lawyers argued that his arrest and deportation should be suspended pending the outcome of his deportation challenge.
The court then ruled that Omotoso cannot be detained for more than 48 hours without being charged. This is as per Section 34 of the Immigration Act.
Plan to appeal judgment
Meanwhile, the NPA said it will appeal the court’s acquittal of Omotoso and his co-accused on rape, human trafficking and sexual assault charges.
NPA national spokesperson Adv Mthunzi Mhaga said the decision to appeal follows a thorough consideration of the matter by its team of experienced prosecutors and a legal opinion from senior counsel.
“The NPA’s director of public prosecutions in the Eastern Cape, Mr Barry Madolo, has decided to appeal the judgment of the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Gqeberha, delivered by Judge Irma Schoeman on 2 April 2025, relating to the case against Timothy Omotoso and two others.
“The decision could not be rushed due to the complexity of the matter. This, as well as the voluminous transcript that needed to be interrogated,” said Mhaga.
He said the NPA takes the view that there are reasonable prospects of a successful appeal. This is despite the complexities of the legal process.
“A convicted person may appeal a conviction on both facts and the law. However, the state can only appeal an acquittal judgment on a question of law in terms of Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA). The first step in this process is to request that the judge clarify factual findings.
“The relevant papers in this regard were filed with the Registrar of the High Court in Gqeberha on Monday, 12 May 2025.
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