Timothy Omotoso, a Nigerian televangelist, has been deported from South Africa following controversy surrounding his recent acquittal on multiple charges.
Gatekeepers News reports that the pastor departed the country on Sunday via OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
Online footage showed him at the airport, dressed in a grey hoodie and sunglasses, conversing with immigration officials before boarding his flight to Nigeria.
Omotoso, who leads Jesus Dominion International in Durban and heads the Tim Omotoso Global Outreach and Ancient of Days Broadcasting Network, had faced 32 charges, including rape, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation.
In April, after spending eight years in detention, the 66-year-old pastor was acquitted of all charges.
The allegations involved several young women who claimed the pastor lured them to his home in Umhlanga, where he allegedly abused them.
However, Judge Irma Schoeman dismissed the case, citing the prosecution’s failure to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The judge criticised the handling of the cross-examination, noting that it was so inadequate that “it was as if cross-examination never even took place.”
Just days before his deportation, Omotoso was rearrested on grounds of violating South Africa’s immigration laws.
