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Self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary (in red).
PHOTO: Frennie Shivambu, Gallo Images
- A Malawi court ordered the immediate release of the Bushiris.
- According to his lawyer, the magistrate determined that his arrests were illegal.
- The couple is wanted in South Africa in connection with a fraud and money laundering case, worth R102m.
A Malawi court ordered the immediate release of self-proclaimed prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, lawyer Terrance Baloyi told News24 on Thursday.
Magistrate Viva Nyimba in his ruling said, among other things, that his arrests by the Malawi Police Service were illegal because they were not channeled through the Ministry of National Security, according to Baloyi.
The couple, who are represented by lawyer Wapona Kita, appeared before a Magistrates Court in Lilongwe.
READ | Bushiris are prohibited from using sermons to threaten witnesses as part of bail conditions in fraud cases.
The State of Malawi had requested a 30-day pre-trial detention to make room for the extradition process.
The Bushiri surrendered to the Lilongwe police on Wednesday after Interpol issued a notice on Monday.
The couple reportedly recently fled South Africa, which would have broken bail conditions established in a fraud and money laundering case before the Pretoria Magistrates Court.
Bail revoked
Since then, the bond has been revoked.
They had previously been granted bail of 200,000 rand each on 4 November.
Bushiris, Landiwe Ntlokwana, Zethu Mudolo and Willie Mudolo face charges of fraud, theft and money laundering
The couple reportedly arrived in Malawi last Wednesday and then made an announcement through various social media platforms on Saturday.
Bushiri said he did not feel safe in South Africa and feared that he would not be granted a fair trial.
In addition, he also made various demands on the South African government, News24 reported.
The fraud and money laundering case continued in Pretoria Magistrates Court on Thursday.
As a result of their failure to appear, the Bushiris lost their property in Centurion and the bond was revoked.
More to follow.
