Mary bushiri
Malawian court rules Bushiris to appear at extradition hearings via summons
The fugitive couple appeared in court on Wednesday after a warrant of arrest was issued by the Malawian government.
The court ruled that the couple should not be re-arrested but should continue appearing in court until their hearing on the matter, which is set for 8 March.
Mudolo is the last suspect accused of being involved in the alleged defrauding of members of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church.
The comments were made following the homeland security minister's decision to sign extradition papers for self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary.
The leaders of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church are facing fraud and money laundering charges worth R100 million.
Earlier on Thursday morning, the pair handed themselves over to the Hawks team that’s been tasked with investigating Bushiri alleged crimes in South Africa.
The Bushiris are facing charges of fraud, theft, and money laundering to the tune of more than R100 million. The prophet also faces an additional three charges of rape.
Mary Bushiri has two warrants of arrest in SA, while Shepherd Bushiri has five, with additional warrants for three rape cases.
But lawyers with experience in extradition processes say it’s not that easy. On average, it could take up to two years before the couple set foot on South African soil, especially if they are refusing to stand trial here.
The Hawks have confirmed that three more warrants have been issued for the self-proclaimed prophet, bringing the total number to five.
Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, are already facing a raft of criminal charges but now the supposed man of God is also wanted for rape.
“Those are the officials to be held responsible and if they don’t want to give us the names of those officials, the buck stops with the minister. The minister must take the fall, he must resign.”
The Malawian government has done better with its public relations regarding the Bushiri debacle than its South African counterpart, writes Yonela Diko.
The ‘Sunday Independent’ reported that Dirco assisted the fugitive couple to leave on the Malawian president’s plane with diplomatic passports, which contained false names and cosmetic facial changes.
Self-proclaimed prophet Shepard Bushiri and his wife Mary fled to Malawi last week after they were granted bail of R200,000 each while facing charges of fraud and money laundering.
During a post Cabinet briefing on Thursday, Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said they intend sending extradition papers to Malawi for the Bushiris within the next two weeks.
According to local media, Magistrate Viva Nyimba made the ruling based solely on the legality of the couple’s arrest in that country and not their impending case in South Africa.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola gave a post-Cabinet briefing in Pretoria on Thursday afternoon.
The couple is in Malawi after fleeing South Africa last week, claiming that they feared for their lives.