Court tells Machar defense to hire own digital expert in evidence dispute

JUBA — Prosecutors in the ongoing trial involving suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar Teny and seven co-accused said on Monday that the defense team is free to hire its own digital forensic expert to examine electronic devices submitted as evidence in the case.

The clarification came during the 68th court session in Juba, where lawyers representing Machar challenged the credibility of digital evidence presented by the prosecution. The defense questioned the methods used to extract messages, photos and videos cited in a forensic report prepared by a South African analyst.

Machar’s lawyers also raised concerns about the verification processes used to confirm the integrity of the electronic evidence, arguing that an independent examination of the devices was necessary to ensure transparency and accuracy.

During the session, defense lawyer Dr. Geri Raymond Legge asked the court to allow an independent forensic expert to review the digital forensic report submitted by the prosecution.

Responding to the request, lead prosecutor Ajo Ony’Ohisa told the court that the defense already has the right to engage its own qualified specialist to analyze the electronic devices involved in the case, including mobile phones and other digital equipment.

“If the defense doubts the report of the current expert, let them bring their own expert to examine all the phones and challenge the current expert,” Ohisa said in court.

Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi, a South African digital forensic analyst who prepared the report, testified that the findings in his analysis could be replicated by another expert. He explained that the report already outlines certain limitations encountered during the investigation.

Among the limitations, Rafadi noted that investigators were unable to access some devices fully because passwords for Dr. Machar’s MacBook and Samsung phones were not available at the time of examination.

Defense advocate Deng John Deng later asked the court to instruct the forensic analyst to unlock the phone belonging to one of the accused, Puot Kang, so that the court could view the raw messages directly.

However, prosecutor Ohisa objected to the request, reiterating that if the defense questions the report’s findings, it should present its own expert witness to challenge the prosecution’s evidence.

The court adjourned the hearing until Wednesday, 11 March 2026, for further proceedings.

Machar and the seven co-accused are facing multiple charges, including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property and crimes against humanity.

Machar is currently under house arrest, while the other accused remain in detention under the National Security Service in Juba.

According to prosecutors, forces allied to Machar carried out an assault in March 2025 that killed 257 soldiers from the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and resulted in the destruction or seizure of military equipment valued at approximately $58 million.