Controversial Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife are in hot water once again. According to reports the Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe has ruled that Bushiri and his wife Mary must be sent back to South Africa to face their charges.
The Prophet is currently facing three rape charges, forgery, fraud and jumping bail. Mary also faces charges of fraud, forgery and bail-jumping.
Defence argues for bail
The court has also ordered the couple to remain in custody until they are handed over to South African authorities. However, some charges that include theft, money laundering, and racketeering, among others, were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Their lawyer, Wapona Kita, has asked the court to pause the extradition order and grant the couple bail. However, the state’s lawyer Dziko Malunda argued that if bail is allowed, it should come with strict conditions. These include large sums of money, property guarantees and signed commitments from sureties. The court is yet to make a ruling on the submissions by both the state and defence
In 2024, then Justice and Constitutional Development Minister, Thembi Simelane, announced that the department is actively addressing Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and Extradition requests involving South Africa.
Ongoing extradition efforts include Guptas
She said that recent developments include ongoing efforts to extradite Bushiri and his wife from Malawi. Also to extradite the Gupta brothers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“These cases have faced several challenges, but we remain steadfast in our pursuit of accountability. Our teams are working diligently through diplomatic and legal channels to bring these matters to a resolution.”
Bushiri fled South Africa while he was out on bail for fraud and money laundering charges.
Meanwhile, Atul and Rajesh Gupta are accused in South Africa of profiting from their close links with the former President Jacob Zuma and exerting unfair influence.
The minister also touched on the case involving slain rapper Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and his friend Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane. The two were murdered in Durban in February last year. Five men are currently charged with the murders, which police say AKA was the target. Two other suspects are fighting extradition from eSwatini.
Also Read: State sets in motion plans to extradite Bushiri, Guptas
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