Thu 19 November 2020:
A self-proclaimed “prophet” and controversial millionaire has been arrested in Malawi after handing himself over to police following his mysterious return from South Africa, where he was on trial for fraud and money laundering charges.
The incident last week has threatened a diplomatic rift between the two southern African countries, with Pretoria reportedly furious that Shepherd Bushiri and his wife had managed to leave the country while out on bail.
“The couple is indeed in our custody. Currently, we are taking statements from the Bushiris. We will then take them to courts,” Malawi police spokesperson James Kadadzera told dpa news agency on Wednesday.
Couple have spent their first night in police custody in Malawi, local media reported on Wednesday.
The couple was expected to appear in the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court for a bail application hearing on Wednesday afternoon, but local media reported that the hearing would be in chambers and the Bushiris would not be required to be present.
They mysteriously fled South Africa for their home country, Malawi, claiming security concerns.
“He is not a fugitive,” said Bushiri’s spokesman Ephraim Nyondo.
“He is in Malawi to seek justice, which he believes he cannot be accorded in South Africa.”
“I am innocent until proven guilty. As of now, there is no court in the world that has proven me guilty. I may be subjected by media and public trial but I maintain my innocence until proven guilty,” he said in a statement to SADC communities before they handed themselves to the police.
On Saturday Bushiri put forward five demands he wanted South Africa to met before he could return to stand trial.
“The Bushiri matter has been very concerning to all of us,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told local news channel ENCA.
Ramaphosa said he was expecting a “detailed report on the whole Bushiri saga … then we’ll see what action needs to be taken because it should never have happened the way it did”.
“We are going to take action, that’s for sure,” he said.
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