ECG church services to go ahead despite Bushiri arrest
Prophet Bushiri and his wife Mary were arrested by the Hawks on charges of fraud and money laundering.
File photo of the Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) church leader Shepherd Bushiri with his wife, Mary. The couple was arrested on Friday morning, 1 February, 2019. Photo by Dimpho Maja / African News Agency (ANA)
Church services at the controversial Enlightened Christian Gathering (ECG) will resume today, despite the arrest of self-proclaimed pastor prophet Shepherd Bushiri.
According to EWN, a Facebook post assures ECG church followers that Youth Prayer and Fasting Services at the Prayer Mountain will go ahead today, and the Grand Opening Service at Pretoria Showgrounds scheduled for tomorrow will continue “unfettered”.
ALSO READ: UPDATE: They have charged our father – Bushiri devotees
Bushiri and his wife Mary were arrested on Saturday, just hours after the CRL Rights Commission cleared him of responsibility for a deadly stampede at his church in Pretoria, in which three people died.
They were arrested by the Hawks on charges of fraud and money laundering.
Bushiri’s devoted followers expressed outrage at the arrest, casting aspersions on the validity of the charges. Many devotees labelled the arrest of Bushiri and his wife a “persecution”.
Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said in his statement, “The Hawks’ case against the pair concerns alleged offences of fraud, money laundering, and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) committed from 2015 in relation to Exchange Control Regulations related to foreign currency in an amount of 1,147,200 USD.”
Mulaudzi said the couple, who run several business enterprises in South Africa and abroad, were expected to appear in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crime Court on Monday.
(Compiled by Nica Schreuder)
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