Cape Town – A 46-year-old police brigadier and her husband are due to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of corruption and defeating the ends of justice relating to self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary.
The brigadier and her 50-year-old husband had handed themselves over earlier on Thursday to the Hawks team investigating the Bushiris’ alleged crimes in South Africa. It’s not yet exactly clear how the duo are linked to the case.
Hawks spokesperson Katlego Mogale said: “The pair handed themselves to the team of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, tasked with the investigation of criminal activities relating to Prophet Shepherd Bushiri.
’’The warrants of arrest were authorised on Wednesday in relation to an amount of R500 000 that was allegedly paid to the brigadier. The investigation was started as an inquiry and converted to a case docket in February 2020.”
On Tuesday, the Malawian government said the process to have the Bushiris arrested had begun.
On Friday, Malawi's Information Minister and Government spokesperson, Gospel Kazako, confirmed receiving a formal request from the South African government for the Bushiris’ extradition.
The Bushiris are expected to appear in the Lilongwe High Court on Monday, where they are appealing their arrest. The couple had fled South Africa after being released on bail early last month.
The Bushiris and their co-accused are facing charges charges of theft, money laundering and fraud relating to an investment scheme.
They were released on R200 000 bail each in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on November 4 following their arrest in October.
The prosecuting authority in Malawi two weeks ago filed an appeal against the unconditional release of the charismatic preacher and his wife.
Lilongwe Magistrate Viva Nyimba had ruled that the couple’s arrest in Malawi was illegal as there was no arrest warrant issued by the Malawian authorities. The magistrate ordered their unconditional release.
IOL