The R102-million fraud case against Malawian Prophet Shepherd Bushiri will be struck from the roll if the State fails to finalise investigations by the time the matter returns to court in January 2023.
The Pretoria Magistrate Court in South Africa made the ruling on Tuesday when Bushiri’s co-accused, Willah Mudolo, his wife, Zethu, Landiwe Ntlokwana, Nomalarvasagie Reddy and Sateesh Isseri where the State asked for a postponement.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the court granted the State a last postponement for further investigations until 25 January next year.
But the court warned that, if investigations had not been completed by then, the matter would be struck from the roll.
In November last year, Mudolo and his wife asked the court to hold an inquiry as to why proceedings were being delayed.
However, following submissions from the State, the court found there had been no unreasonable delay in the case.
Bushiri and his co-accused face charges of fraud, theft and money laundering in relation to an alleged scam in which investors were allegedly defrauded out of R102 million.
In an interview with Zodiak Online Bushiri’s spokesperson Ephraim Nyondo, said the court’s decision only vindicates and testifies the victimisation Bushiri was suffering in South Africa, the reason he returned home.
Bushiri, his wife Mary and the co-accused were arrested in October 2020 on alleged fraud accusations and the State, by then, submitted that they had overwhelming evidence stemming from investigations that started in 2018.
