More trouble may be coming for Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso as South African authorities said they will continue with legal proceedings against him after he was acquitted of rape last month.
Pastor Omotoso has left the country voluntarily,though the authorities said they will apply for his extradition to South Africa to face proceedings if the appeal is allowed.
Omotoso, who denied the 32 charges against him, was accused of sexually assaulting young women from his church in Port Elizabeth.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said it will still appeal against the judgment which found Omotoso not guilty, saying his presence is not required.
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs said Omotoso had flown to Nigeria from OR Tambo International Airport, where he was filmed by public broadcaster SABC wearing a hoodie and dark sunglasses.
Omotoso was first arrested in 2017 as he attempted to leave South Africa.
Among his accusers was a woman who alleged she was raped by the pastor when she was 14.
In a statement, South African prosecutors accepted “there are no legal grounds to prevent” Omotoso from leaving the country following his acquittal.
However, if the appeal were allowed, the authorities would apply for Omotoso to be extradited back to South Africa, the statement added, highlighting South Africa’s “bilateral extradition treaty with Nigeria”.
After his acquittal in April, Omotoso also faced immigration issues, with the Department of Home Affairs alleging earlier this month that he was in South Africa illegally.
On Sunday, the department issued a statement saying that Omotoso had been classified as an “undesirable person”, meaning he will not be able to return to the country for five years.
South Africa’s public broadcaster reports that the pastor left the country voluntarily.
The BBC contacted the NPA for clarity on how any potential extradition process could work given Mr Omotoso’s status as an “undesirable person”.
Omotoso leads the Jesus Dominion International church which has branches in the UK, Nigeria, France and Israel as well as in many parts of South Africa, according to its website.
Pastor Omotoso’s trial made South African history as the first high-profile rape case to be broadcast live.
