[ad_1]
Willah Mudolo, one of the co-defendants of self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri, has been denied bail.
Mudolo appeared in Pretoria Magistrates Court on Tuesday, where Magistrate Thandi Theledi rendered the bail order.
Mudolo, his wife, Zethu, Bushiri and his wife, Mary, as well as Landiwe Ntlokwana face multiple charges of fraud, theft and money laundering in connection with an investment scam, which allegedly defrauded investors out of the amount of R102 million.
Bushiri and his wife have since fled the country and returned to their homeland of Malawi after the same court granted them bail in November.
Mudolo, a Zambian national, is the only defendant still in detention after his wife and Ntlokwana were successful in their bail requests, which became known at the same time as the Bushiris’ request.
ALSO READ: Co-defendant Bushiri claims signature was forged in confession
The court determined that Mudolo was at risk of flight, as he tried to flee the country three times before being arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on the third attempt. He had bought a one-way ticket.
His defense that he was going on a business trip was not accepted by the court.
The State also refuted it previously, stating that the amount of clothing found in their bags could not have been for a three-day business trip.
Theledi also accepted evidence from an Interior Department official, who testified that Mudolo was not in the country legally as his visitor visa had expired.
She did not accept Mudolo’s version that she could not renew it due to Covid-19.
Furthermore, Theledi accepted the evidence provided by the State that Mudolo was in possession of a cell phone and was communicating with an unknown person.
READ MORE: Bushiri ‘shockingly shocked’ after pickup truck intercepted en route to Malawi
He was also concerned that one of the conversations was about bribery of judicial officials.
It was previously reported that Mudolo had access to two cell phones while he was detained in Kgosi Mampuru Prison in Tshwane and had signed a document admitting that he had a cell phone.
This phone was used for WhatsApp by several people, including an unknown person who claimed to have an advocate who could help facilitate a bribe to get him out of jail.
Mudolo denied having access to a cell phone and accused the Department of Correctional Services of forging his signature on a document in which he confessed to having access to the device.
The defense also noted that the North Gauteng Superior Court in Pretoria had ruled on the matter after a request was filed because Mudolo was transferred from the local detention center to C-Max.
It was recorded that the measure was reviewed and annulled after it was found to be illegal, unconstitutional and invalid.
The order was not motivated and the State recorded that it was a technical issue with the processes followed by the penitentiary services.
The state also successfully demonstrated that there was a potential for Mudolo to escape as he had business interests in other parts of the world and had access to large sums of money.
Access to large sums of money meant that he might run away and could lose his bail money and the fixed property he offered as collateral.
Theledi added that it would be difficult to extradite Mudolo if he fled.
The court said that Mudolo had also failed to convince the court that the bail was in the interests of justice.
While Theledi denied bail for Mudolo, he emphasized that his decision was not based on the fact that the Bushiris had fled, but that he had examined the matter separately and objectively.
The matter was postponed until February 25, 2021 for further investigation.
For more news your way, download The Citizen app to iOS and Android.
[ad_2]
