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By IOL Reporter 
8h ago
Cape Town – Malawi prosecutors intend to appeal the court ruling that led to the release of self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary.
Judge Viva Nyimba had ruled in the Lilongwe Magistrates Court on Thursday that the Bushiri should be released without bail because their arrest in Malawi was illegal.
Nyimba deemed the arrest illegal as the warrant had not been channeled through the Ministry of National Security.
The couple fled to their home country last week, in violation of their bail conditions, while facing trial on charges of fraud and money laundering worth R102 million.
Malawi’s Information Minister Gospel Kazako told News24 on Friday: “We are going to appeal the ruling, the state did not agree with the lower court ruling. The director of the public prosecution will file an appeal in Superior Court. ”
For the documents to be produced, Kazako added, Malawi needed to receive all the necessary formal documents from the South African government.
“The South African prosecutors, what they sent is only provisional. The jobs that are expected have not been received all in their entirety. ”
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola said Thursday that the presentation of extradition documents could take about two weeks.
While presenting the political landscape on his department’s performance in Parliament on Friday, Lamola reiterated that there are processes in place for Bushiri and his wife to be extradited from Malawi, the EWN reported.
DA MP Werner Horn questioned Lamola about the efforts made to have the Bushiris extradited, saying: “Ultimately, Minister, this is an issue that erodes public confidence in the justice system as a whole and you are one. of the main custodians of our justice system. ”
Lamola told MPs: “The problem of high profile people fleeing the country has been raised. We have started processes, president. As you will remember when we were here last year, he asked us about the same topic. “
The National Tax Authority has welcomed the Pretoria Magistrates Court’s decision that the couple’s multi-million dollar Centurion mansion be seized from the state after they failed to appear for corruption trial.
NPA spokesman Sipho Ngwema said the luxurious home will be auctioned.
MESS
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