Bushiris’ formal extradition hearing set to begin in March

The formal extradition hearing for wanted self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary, is set for March 2021 before a magistrate’s court in Lilongwe, Malawi.

“The Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court today ordered that the formal hearing of the extradition for the Bushiris start on 8 March this year.

“The court has issued a warrant of arrest for the two fugitives. And it states that they should be summoned to court in March,” Malawi Ministry of Justice spokesperson, Pirirani Masanjala, said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Bushiri ‘astonishingly shocked’ after van intercepted en route to Malawi

This comes after the wanted couple appeared before court on Wednesday for an application by prosecutors for a warrant of arrest.

Malawi Minister of Information, Gospel Kazako, told News24 on Wednesday that the matter – to be heard before magistrate Viva Nyimba – was likely to be concluded in March.

“The State and the accused have settled for 8 March, where the hearing will be done and there is a high likelihood that [the] magistrate will make a decision on the same day.

“We expect it to reach finality in its current state in March,” he added.

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Malawi received the formal extradition request from the South African government on 4 December.

The Bushiris are wanted in connection with a fraud and money laundering case to the alleged tune of R102 million.

The duo, however, fled the country to their homeland just a few days after they were granted bail of R200 000 each – under strict conditions – in the Pretoria Central Magistrate’s Court.

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