Bushiri fraud, money laundering case postponed to next year

The fraud and money laundering case of Enlightened Christian Gathering church leader Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has been postponed to 31 May to 18 June 2021 for trial, the national prosecuting authority (NPA) has said.

Bushiri made a brief virtual appearance at the High Court in Pretoria on Friday on charges of fraud, money laundering and the contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (Poca).

Bushiri’s wife, Mary Bushiri, is also facing the charges for offences the couple allegedly committed from 2015.

One of the charges relates to exchange control regulations and involves foreign currency of $1 147 200 (around R15 million at the time), News24 reported.

Following a July postponement of the matter to 16 October, Bushiri said he was ready to clear his name.

Bushiri claimed at the time that prosecutors applied for the court to postpone the trial till next year July because their 29 witnesses refused to come to court because of Covid-19.

He was opposed to the postponement to next year, saying he and his wife “have been remanded for over a year already”.

The couple was arrested in February 2019.

Bushiri questioned then how the state kept asking for more time when it claimed to have had evidence against him and his wife, adding that the July postponement was unfair considering that his lawyers were ready to proceed.

READ MORE: ‘It’s unfair,’ says Bushiri after fraud, money laundering case postponed 

(Compiled by Makhosandile Zulu)

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