Just days after prosecutors announced they would revisit the case, local media reported that a Nigerian televangelist who was found not guilty of raping young women from his congregation was scheduled to depart South Africa on Sunday.
After serving eight years in prison, Timothy Omotoso was declared not guilty last month on 32 crimes, including rape, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking.
The judge’s claim that the prosecution handled the case improperly sparked outrage throughout South Africa.
According to national broadcaster SABC and Newsroom Afrika television, the 66-year-old preacher was scheduled to depart for his home country of Nigeria from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Airport.
Broadcast images showed Omotoso talking to an immigration official at the airport while sporting sunglasses and a grey sweatshirt.
The exact time of his flight’s departure was not immediately known.
Omotoso did not need their permission to exit the country, a transport ministry spokeswoman told AFP.
This Monday, state prosecutors announced that they will look into the team that handled the case and file an appeal against his acquittal for rape.
“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.
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Omotoso is the leader of the Jesus Dominion International church, which has its main office in Durban, a coastal city in eastern South Africa.
The South African government claims that the JDI has branches in Israel and Nigeria.
On May 10, Omotoso was detained again on immigration-related charges, and the South African authorities threatened to deport him.
He was released this week after a magistrate’s court ruled that he could not be held for more than 48 hours without facing charges.
