Bathoi receives stinging rebuke in Parliament over Omotoso acquittal

CAPE TOWN - National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi received a stinging rebuke in Parliament on Friday following the acquittal of Nigerian televangelist Timothy Omotoso in the Eastern Cape High Court.

The Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) Party, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Al jamah-ah all called for her head for not stepping in years ago to avoid the prosecutorial bungling of the case that spanned seven years.

READ: Reasonable prospect of success in appealing verdict in Omotoso sex crimes trial - Batohi

The NPA has been hauled before Parliament’s Justice Committee to explain the failures in the case, and the course it will take to get justice for the victims in the sexual assault and human trafficking matter.

The committee said that it should not have taken Judge Irma Schoeman to cite examples of what she deemed to be unethical conduct or incompetence on the part of the prosecution team, for the NPA to respond.

MK Party’s Sibonelo Nomvalo said that the NPA should have intervened years ago, when even to the layman, it appeared the prosecution team was not up to the task.

"That is when an incompetent NDPP was supposed to realise that we are having a serious problem here, and we need to intervene with immediate effect."

EFF’s Rebecca Mohlala said that Batohi should also be held responsible for failing the victims in this trial.

"That alone should compel this committee to demand Advocate Batohi’s resignation. She has failed the justice system."

Batohi told the committee an investigation was launched into the performance of the prosecutors in this case in August last year.

She said the probe was halted in 2021 so as not to add pressure on the witnesses who were still to testify in the trial.