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- A delegation consisting of "senior and highly experienced" prosecutors from the NP, the Investigative Directorate, and investigators from SAPS, have arrived in Malawi.
- The delegation is set to provide evidence in the extradition case of self-proclaimed "prophet" Shepherd Bushiri and his wife.
- The Bushiris fled the country to Malawi in November 2020 after the Pretoria Magistrate's Court granted them R200 000 bail each.
A delegation of officials from South Africa, led by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, has arrived in Malawi to provide evidence in the case to have self-proclaimed "prophet" Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary, extradited to South Africa.
The couple face charges of fraud and money laundering.
Department of Justice and Correctional Services spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said the hearing was scheduled for 30 May.
He added that the delegation consisted of "senior and highly experienced" prosecutors from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Investigative Directorate (ID), and investigators from the SA Police Service.
"In leading this delegation, the department is fulfilling its role as a central authority," Phiri said.
"In the extradition context, a central authority is a designated government department that has the responsibility for receiving, managing and executing extradition requests."
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Bushiri, who is the leader of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church, and his wife, skipped bail in November 2020, after being arrested for fraud and money laundering to the tune of R102 million linked to an investment scheme.
In February, the High Court in Lilongwe ruled that South African witnesses in the extradition case would be required to travel to Malawi and give their testimonies in person.
However, the justice department clarified the "misinterpreted" judgment and said that no witnesses would have to go to Malawi to testify, and that the court had only asked state and law enforcement officials to testify in the extradition hearing.
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The department said at the time that the judgment spoke for itself, adding that "an extradition hearing is not a trial".
"The judgment also resolves the question of what type of witnesses are required for the extradition hearing as follows: 'Witnesses to a preliminary inquiry/extradition hearing are representatives/agents of the requesting state who will be able to answer questions and be cross-examined by the fugitive on the issues'," it said.
Phiri added that the court was asking officials to testify on a set list of questions about the extradition hearing only.
