Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and wife Mary Bushiri appeared before court for their extradition case today in Lilongwe where the couple’s lawyers accused South Africa of tendering doctored evidence..
Today, South African witness, Sibongile Mzinyathi who is Director of Public Prosecution for Gauteng Province presented to the court a document said to be the extradition request for the couple.
However, one of Bushiri’s lawyers Wapona Kita said the law says that the document which is supposed to be tendered is the original extradition request which they tendered in 2020.
“However, the document they have authenticated is not the original one. Further, we have overwhelming evidence that that the purported authenticated document has been tampered with and doctored to meet their narrative. We are thus questioning the authenticity of these documents,” said Kita.
Writing on his Facebook Page, Bushiri said there is much more coming as he seeks to prove his innocence in court.
“I am certain that justice will prevail. This is why I came back to Malawi to prove my innocence in our courts. I believe our courts here, are so independent and trustworthy as the justice system in South Africa, is highly weaponized against the church, foreigners and those who are doing well,” said Bushiri.
Meanwhile, the case is expected to continue on Tuesday.
Bushiri and wife Mary are accused of fraud and money laundering in South Africa where they were leading the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church. The two fled South Africa in November, 2020 after being granted bail. South Africa wants them extradited to the Rainbow Nation to answer charges against them.
