Prophet Shepherd Bushiri on Monday his bid for witnesses to come and physically testify in his extradition case in Malawi. File Picture
Cape Town - Prophet Shepherd Bushiri on Monday lost his bid for witnesses to come and physically testify in his extradition case in Malawi.
On Monday, the Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe, Malawi, ruled that the witnesses in his extradition case can give evidence physically while in South Africa.
Heres what we know so far about Prophet Shepherd Bushiri’s legal woes.
– South Africa-based witnesses in the extradition process against self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary will not have to travel to Malawi to give evidence.
– Bushiri and his wife Mary, through their lawyer Wapona Kita had argued that the witnesses had to be physically in court in Malawi to testify, while the state, through the Director of Public Prosecutions Steven Kayuni, maintained that South Africa has competent courts that can record testimonies for use in Malawi courts.
– Earlier this year, the family of one of the women who made rape allegations against Bushiri vowed she would not travel to Lilongwe, even if the court in that country insisted she had to testify physically in the ongoing extradition hearing.
– Bushiri and Mary are wanted in South Africa on fraud and money-laundering charges relating to an investment scheme valued at more than R100 million.
– The Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church leaders were arrested in South Africa, but after being granted bail, fled to Malawi, claiming they were not safe in their host country.
– In essence, Prophet Shepherd Bushiri is currently fighting extradition to South Africa to face fraud, money laundering and corruption charges.
Goshen City
Despite all this, the prophet is building a mega, smart city called Goshen City.
According to the ‘man of God’, Bushiri said the project has 20 phases, but the first and second phase will be ready by December this year.
Goshen City is a futuristic, commercial, tourist Smart City.
According to Bushiri, the goal is to market Malawi and the region to the world, boost the economy and improve the quality of lives of Malawians and people in the region.
IOL