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Willah Mudolo, one of the defendants in an R100m case involving self-proclaimed Malawian prophet Shepherd Bushiri, will remain in custody after being denied bail on Tuesday.
Mudolo, who runs an investment firm and a real estate development firm, appeared in the Pretoria trial court along with his wife Zethu and Landiwe Ntlokwana for the verdict on his bail application. His wife and Ntlokwana are released on bail of R100,000 and R20,000 respectively.
The trio, along with Bushiri and his wife Mary, face charges of fraud, theft and money laundering involving more than 100 million rand in connection with an alleged investment plan through a company owned by Mudolo and his wife.
Judge Thandi Theledi said the conduct of Bushiri and his wife Mary, who skipped bail and fled to Malawi, did not influence Mudolo’s decision on bail.
“The court finds that the applicant has failed to convince the court that [interest] Justice allows his release on bail, therefore, bail is denied, “he said.
Alleged bribery attempt
Theledi said she was disturbed by allegations that Mudolo was able to call people from jail.
“While he was in custody, he was able to communicate with outsiders to see what he could do. I am also deeply affected by this that he did in a [alleged] attempt to try to bribe some of the court officials, ”he said.
Mudolo, a citizen of Zambia, previously told the court that he is innocent of any crime.
“I intend to plead not guilty and will provide evidence to the state that any and all funds paid into the Rising Estates (Pty) Ltd business account, without my knowledge but following instructions from Mr. Shepherd Bushiri, were reimbursed to Mr. Shepherd Bushiri’s designated account and various beneficiaries, ”he said in an affidavit during his bail request.
Mudolo’s legal representative, defender JP Marais, argued that there was no evidence that his client could be a danger to any member of society if he were released on bail.
“He has left SA on numerous occasions and has always returned. He has only one wife and two children. He’s not going to run away and abandon them, ”he said.
However, the court also heard how Mudolo tried to flee the country on three separate occasions, allegedly using different passports. The state argued that there was a possibility that, if granted bail, Mudolo could also flee the country like the Bushiri.
Marais questioned this, saying that Mudolo’s request should be dealt with separately. “The fact that Bushiri and his wife, with the help of some corrupt officials, managed to get out of SA in some illegal way should not influence this court. It has nothing to do with defendant number one, ”he said.
The investigating officer, from the Hawks’ specific organized crime unit, told the court that Mudolo was in possession of three cell phones while in custody at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Center. Cell phones have been confiscated.
Mudolo will remain in detention and the case has been postponed to February.
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