Department Explains Document Disposal During Bushiri Court Proceedings (Video) – The Citizen

The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has explained why a woman withdrew documents during court proceedings at the Pretoria Magistrates Court where the prophet Shepherd Bushiri, his wife Mary Bushiri, Willah and Zethu Mudolo and Landiwe Ntlokoane appeared on Monday.

Video clips have been circulating on social media showing a woman removing the magistrate’s documents, with some asking if it was the theft of the file.

Bushiri’s file was stolen, live on television ???? ‍♂️ ???? ‍♂️ ???? pic.twitter.com/RtK4oIyk4O

– Ghost (@Ghost_zw) November 2, 2020

Following speculation on social media, the department said it conducted a full investigation and confirmed that the investigating judge’s notes are in the possession of relevant judicial officials.

“It is standard practice for the court clerk to retrieve the charge sheet, as custodian of court records, for further processing and storage. The interaction between the court clerk and the journalist seen in the video / images was based on the journalist requesting to see the charge sheet. This is permitted and does not imply that any documents have been removed from the courtroom.

“Furthermore, it should be noted that all files are retained by the National Prosecutor’s Office after receipt from the investigating officer of the South African Police Service. The file is never transmitted to a magistrate or judge who knows a matter. Therefore, the file was not part of the documents that were exchanged between the judicial officials seen in the videos / images, ”the department said.

The Bushiri face R102 million worth of fraud, money laundering and theft charges, and are also charged with violating certain provisions of the Immigration Act. They were arrested last month.

His case will continue in Pretoria Magistrates Court on Wednesday after being postponed twice.

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