Bushiri wants assurance he won't be imprisoned

Fugitive cleric Shepherd Bushiri says he will only return to SA if the authorities promise to keep him out of jail. Bushiri fled to Malawi last November after he and his wife, Mary, were granted bail at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court in relation to fraud and money laundering. He also faces an extradition case, but no trial date has been set yet in Malawi. A report on the News24 site notes that Bushiri's spokesperson, Ephraim Nyondo, said if SA meets the conditions for his safety ‘and guarantees they will take him to trial and not prison like last time, then he will come’. ‘For over three years, they failed to bring him to trial, always claiming they needed more evidence. Even now, with the extradition case, they have not brought witnesses and evidence. So that's a problem,’ added Nyondo.

The Pretoria Magistrate's Court found there has been no unreasonable delay in the case against Bushiri, his wife and their co-accused. This after the attorney for Willah Joseph Mudolo and Zethu Mudolo asked it to hold an inquiry into why proceedings were being delayed and to finalise the investigation. A report on the News24 site notes that the Mudolos and Lindiwe Ntlokwane last week appeared in court on charges of fraud, theft and money laundering in relation to an alleged scam in which investors were defrauded out of R102m. Bushiri and his wife were released on bail in the same court last November, before fleeing to Malawi. They are currently facing an extradition hearing. NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana this week said the state provided reasons to the court why the matter had been postponed and needed further postponement. ‘The prosecutor reminded the court of Willah Mudolo's refusal to apply for bail when the matter was first brought to court while his co-accused were applying for bail,’ he said. Willah later brought a bail application after his co-accused were granted bail.