A South African digital forensic expert has asked the Special Court to have electronic devices belonging to suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar sent to Vietnam, China or India, citing advanced encryption that cannot be accessed locally without risking loss of evidence.

The request was made as the Special Court on Nasir incident continued hearing testimony from the last prosecution witness, a South African digital and forensic investigation expert, in the trial of Dr. Machar and seven co-accused.

The 50th session, held on Wednesday, opened with attendance taken for both prosecution and defence teams.

The defence confirmed that all eight accused persons were present.

Lead defence lawyer Geri Raimondo Legge raised concern over the seizure of notebooks belonging to the accused by security officers, saying they had been used to take notes since the start of the trial.

The court ordered security to return the notebooks immediately.

Presenting his findings, the expert Ratlhogo Peter Calvin Rafadi told the court that analysis of devices belonging to the accused revealed WhatsApp communications, financial records, photos, and videos allegedly linking some of the accused to military operations and the White Army.

For the second accused, Mum Pal Duop, the expert says extracted data showed communication involving troop movements, battlefield updates, and alleged financial transfers through Dubai, M-Pesa, and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia.

Analysis of the phone of Mading Riek Yak allegedly revealed coordination of troop movements between February and March 2025, including discussions about deleting chats as arrests appeared imminent.

For the third accused, Gatwech Lam Pouch, the expert played audio and video files, including footage of a press conference held before the Nasir incident, where troop movements were discussed.

Addressing challenges, the expert told the court that Dr. Riek Machar’s MacBook and Samsung Galaxy S22 remain sealed due to strong encryption and lack of passwords.

Rafadi says attempting to access them locally could permanently destroy the data.

The expert recommended that the devices be sent to manufacturer-authorised facilities in Vietnam, China or India to preserve evidence integrity.

Meanwhile, the defence objected to discrepancies between original digital forensic reports and copies provided to them.
The prosecution did not object, and the court ordered that complete original copies be provided to both sides.

The case was adjourned to Friday, 13th February 2026, when the defence is expected to cross-examine the expert.