The Bushiris Back in Court for Continuation of Bail Bid

Prophet Sheperd Bushiri and his wife Mary are back in the Pretoria Central Magistrates Court today for the continuation of their bail application.

They are charged with fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act amounting to R102 million, local publication EyeWitness reports.

They were arrested last week.

Bushiri and his wife, as well as their co-accused, began their bail application on Friday with their legal team insisting that they had done nothing wrong.

Their lawyer, Anneline van den Heever, argued that it would be unfair to keep them in custody.

“The State needs to act independently and exercise its discretion. When it laces fact before the court, they need to be open with the court, place all the facts before the court. They are not there to just follow instructions from the investigating officer about bail.”

The State is today expected to explain to the court why the trio should not be granted bail.

Meanwhile, the Home Affairs Department is expected to appeal the judgment that stopped the State from withdrawing Bushiri’s permanent residency status in South Africa.

The department wants the couple to clarify discrepancies in their application.