Proceedings in the trial of opposition leader Riek Machar were adjourned on Friday after the court cited confusion and inconsistencies in documents submitted by the prosecution.
The issue arose from a digital forensic report presented earlier in the week by prosecution witness Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi. The report allegedly contained discrepancies in pagination and content between the original document and its copy.
Judge Stephen Simon Isaac, a member of the three-judge panel, suspended the session, saying the prosecution’s files were poorly arranged, lacked clear referencing, and were missing page numbers — making it difficult for both the court and the defence to properly follow the evidence.
“This session was fixed for the defence to cross-examine the witness, but for some reason, we can’t go ahead with cross-examination because of some complication in the document,” the judge said.
Machar’s lawyer, Deng John Deng, requested access to the original report, arguing that differences between the original and the copy prevented the defence from effectively cross-examining the witness.
The court adjourned the case to Monday, February 16, 2026, to allow time for reviewing and reorganizing the documents.
Machar, 73, and seven co-accused face charges including treason, crimes against humanity, terrorism, mass murder, and destruction of property. The charges stem from a March 2025 attack on an army base in Nasir that allegedly left a commander and dozens of soldiers dead.
The panel of judges includes James Alala (Presiding Judge), Stephen Simon Isaac, and Pur Majok. The prosecution team consists of 13 lawyers, while the defence is represented by six attorneys.
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