The trial of suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar and seven co-accused was adjourned Friday after the judges decided to review provisions of South Africa’s Cybercrimes Act of 2020.
The law criminalizes cyber-related offenses and regulates the investigation, prosecution, and reporting of cybercrimes, including provisions for international cooperation and cross-border evidence sharing.
Machar’s lead defense attorney, Dr. Geri Raimondo Legge, had objected to digital forensic report Document 9-E, linked to a diplomatic bag, arguing the South African expert lacked jurisdiction.
The defense cited Article 47 and Section 52 of the South African Cybercrimes Act, which govern implementation and cross-border cooperation.
Presiding Judge James Alala Deng said the three-judge panel decided to adjourn the trial to Wednesday, Feb. 25, to allow time to review the defense application and comparative legal frameworks presented by the defense and the prosecution.
Deng also cited the need to accommodate tribunal members who were on medication.
Machar, 73, and his co-accused face charges including murder, conspiracy, terrorism, treason, destruction of public property, and crimes against humanity. Machar is under house arrest, while the others are held at NSS detention centers in Juba.
The defendants are Puot Kang Chuol, 40; Mam Pal Dhuor, 37; Gatwech Lam Puoch, 66; Lt. Gen. Gabriel Duop Lam, 53; Riek Machar Teny, 73; Camilo Gatmai Kel, 47; Mading Yak Riek, 45; and Dominic Gatgok Riek, 27.
Prosecutors allege that SPLA-IO forces allied with the White Army killed 257 South Sudan People’s Defense Forces soldiers, including commander Gen. David Majur Dak, and destroyed or seized military equipment valued at about $58 million during an attack on the Nasir garrison in March 2025.