SA government confirms arrest warrant issued against Bushiris

JOHANNESBURG – The government has confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued with immediate effect for the fugitives Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary.

#PastorBushiri ONLY IN: The government has confirmed that an arrest warrant has been issued with immediate effect for the fugitives Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary.

EWN Reporter (@EWN Reporter) November 16, 2020

This is part of the process to extradite the couple from Malawi so that they can answer the charges of fraud, theft and money laundering they face here in their homeland.

The leaders of the Illuminated Christian Church are at R200,000 but did not report to authorities on Friday based on their bail agreement.

• READ: Motsoaledi left furious after Bushiris jumped the country

Government spokeswoman Phumla Williams said the arrest warrant the state was requesting formed the basis of the documentation it would present to the Malawian government to extradite the Bushiri.

“We are still on the right track and that process is underway and once we have submitted the documentation, we will also share it with South Africans.”

The government has reiterated that the extradition process could be lengthy, but when the Bushiris return to South Africa they could face additional charges for flight.

• OPINION: Why the Bushiris may never return to South Africa

“As far as we are concerned, he is responsible in South Africa and once we can establish that he has violated our immigration, that will also be another charge because he has violated, but we are investigating him.”

The Hawks are also investigating how the couple managed to violate immigration laws after surrendering their travel documents as part of their bond conditions.

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