NPA to study Omotoso acquittal
The National Prosecuting Authority will study the Gqeberha High Court judgment and decide which legal avenues to explore.
On Wednesday, the court found televangelist Timothy Omotoso and his two co-accused, Lusanda Sulani and Zikiswa Sitho, not guilty of the 32 charges the state indicted them on.
Delivering the judgment, Judge Irma Schoeman found that the trio was not guilty due to technicalities, mainly that the former prosecutors acted improperly and that the state did not sufficiently cross-examine the accused.
NPA spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said that the delays in the trial caused some witnesses to no longer want to give evidence, as they indicated they have since moved on with their lives and are not interested in reliving their experiences in court.
"Since the arrest of the trio in April 2017, their trial has been protracted with numerous obstacles, including interlocutory applications by the accused that even included Constitutional Court challenges.
"The most recent applications were for five special entries for a mistrial and an application made on 16 January 2024, where the defence made an application for the judge to reconsider her previous judgment on the application for discharge according to Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which was successfully opposed by the state.
"In as much as the NPA does not seek to secure conviction at all costs, it remains committed to ensuring justice is served for the victims of crime and will go to all lengths to give a voice to the victims by exploring all the possible avenues."
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