Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The special court trying suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and his co-accused is scheduled to question a prosecution witness on Friday, April 24. This follows the conclusion of a re-examination today of the witness, a South African digital forensic expert.
The 69th session began with Judge Steven Simon registering the attendance of the prosecution, the defense, the eight accused persons, and the prosecution witness.
During the re-examination, the prosecution panel asked the South African digital forensic expert, Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi, to clarify his academic qualifications following defense questioning on March 6. Rafadi stated that he holds an advanced diploma in cybersecurity and a diploma in policing.
When asked about his professional experience, the expert told the court he had handled two previous cases, including a murder investigation. Regarding the licensing of his investigation tools, Rafadi confirmed that both his hardware and software are licensed and accredited by ISO, the globally recognized standard for quality management.
The prosecution panel requested the witness to detail the content found on the phones of the eight accused. Rafadi testified that messages and photos extracted from the first accused’s phone gallery showed wounded individuals on February 14, 2025. He quoted a message from the device stating, “This is the list of the wounded people in Nasir.”
Addressing concerns raised during cross-examination about the authentication of his report in the absence of original devices, the witness maintained that his report is authenticated and can be verified by any independent digital investigator.
The forensic expert was also asked about the first accused’s communication. He confirmed that the first accused did not respond to the messages in question, noting that his testimony relies strictly on the extracted data.
Regarding financial evidence, the witness stated there was no formal bank receipt showing a money transfer from the first accused. However, he added that while no formal receipt exists, the context of the data recognizes various transactions.
The panel questioned the witness regarding the defense’s suggestion that his statement was merely personal opinion. Rafadi clarified that during the reporting stage, he introduced metadata and provided an analytical opinion indicating that the first accused had received intelligence reports.
The expert concluded by noting that while evidence was presented from several devices, nothing was found on the phone of the fourth accused. The court has adjourned the session until April 24, when it will continue its examination of the witness.
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