By Deogratias Mmana
Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has expressed shock and anger over the announcement by South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) that it is selling his private jet worth R50 million.
On April 3 this year, the North Gauteng High Court sitting in Pretoria granted the NPA the green light to sell the luxury jet, a Bombardier Challenger 604, which was impounded by the NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit.
The jet has been held at Lanseria Airport since Bushiri and his wife, Mary, fled South Africa to Malawi in 2020.
The couple had been out on bail while facing charges of fraud, money laundering and violations of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
According to reports, the court’s decision allows the NPA to appoint the National Aircraft Corporation to oversee the sale, with proceeds aimed at supporting ongoing asset recovery efforts linked to Bushiri’s alleged financial crimes.
According to the NPA, the aircraft, which is registered under Shepherd Bushiri Investments, was acquired using illicit funds, a central claim in their investigation.
But in an interview Wednesday, Bushiri described the announcement to sell the jet as shocking and a signal that he may not face fair trial if he is extradited to South Africa to answer charges which are in court.
“The recent announcement by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa to sell my private jet has left me astonished, given the circumstances surrounding this decision. The NPA’s justification for this action is to recover funds allegedly lost due to crimes I committed, which they claim will be used to compensate victims.
“However, I must remind the NPA and the public of the events that transpired in the Malawi courts. The same allegations brought before the Malawi courts were dismissed as ‘mere accusations’, and the case was removed from the court list.
“It is perplexing that the NPA would proceed with selling my private jet over charges that have already been dismissed by a competent court,” Bushiri said, adding that he was able to comment on the matter because it was dismissed in Malawi courts.
He said the case in question involves a forex platform, introduced to his church by two individuals, which attracted many of his church members who invested in the platform, with initial investors receiving double their investment.
But, he said, when the two individuals disappeared with the funds, he took it upon himself to use his own resources, totalling over 70 million Rands, to reimburse the victims.
“This act of goodwill has gone unreported by both the media and the authorities,” Bushiri said.
Bushiri claimed unfair treatment from the South African authorities in the matter.
“What followed was a shocking display of injustice. The same corrupt police officers who had previously arrested me in a money laundering case, which was also dismissed in Malawi’s courts, arrested me and my wife.
“This was despite my efforts to help the victims and my having opened a case against the two individuals who fled with my members’ money,” he said.
“The South African police officers involved in this debacle are the same ones I had reported for extortion, where they demanded 12 million Rands from me under the threat of creating an arrest.
“I had informed various authorities, including the South African Rights Commission, the then- Commissioner of Police, the Minister of Intelligence, and the President of the Hawks. We presented evidence of all this in court. Yet, none of these officers have been held accountable. The Independent Police Department (IPID) have this case on their table, which we also opened with them way before we were arrested by the same officers we had opened an extortion case. Guess who was arrested instead?” Bushiri said.
He said the decision “to sell my private jet raises serious concerns about the fairness and impartiality of the South African justice system, particularly in cases involving foreigners. It appears that the NPA is more interested in pursuing me rather than addressing the real culprits”.
“In light of these events, I am not surprised by the NPA’s decision to sell my jet. However, as long as I remain in Malawi, I will continue to speak out against these injustices,” he said.
He asked the NPA to reconsider their decision and take into account the facts surrounding the case.
“The sale of my private jet is not only unjust but also seems to be a clear case of persecution. I hope that a thorough review of this matter will be conducted, and justice will be served,” he said.
In March this year, High Court Judge Madalitso Chimwaza, sitting as a chief resident magistrate, approved the extradition of Bushiri and his wife to South Africa but granted a 30- day stay on the extradition and ordered the defence to formally request bail from the High Court of Malawi within the stipulated period.
Chimwaza said the extradition would be decided by the High Court after the defence appealed the subordinate court’s ruling
The South African government welcomed the extradition ruling, saying it reaffirmed judicial independence, international cooperation and public trust in the South African and Malawian legal institutions.
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