Bushiri lawyers concludes cross-examining SA witness, State to start re-examination on Wednesday
Defence lawyers in Prophet Shepherd Bushiris extradition case have concluded cross examining South Africa’s only witness, Sibongire Mnzinyathi, who is Director of Public Prosecutions for Gauteng Province in the rainbow nation.
The cross examination, which began on Wednesday last week, has seen Bushiri’s two lawyers, Wapona Kita from Malawi and Annelene Van Den Heever from South Africa, quizzing Mzinyathi on several areas surrounding the contents of his extradition request and the procedures used to develop it and also to send it to Malawi.
During the process, the court heard several revelations, for instance, that people that opened rape cases against Bushiri in South Africa had already withdrawn them in 2018.
Before adjourning the case to Wednesday, the court today also heard about an exposure of what looks like a fabricated report by KPMG which indicated that entities of the two fugitive offenders benefitted from Rising Estate a firm which allegedly stole money from church members.
During cross examination today defence lawyer Heever, focused on figures, dates and bank statements presented by the witness, Sibongire Mnzinyathi, as evidence of money laundering and set of illegal activities aimed at commercial profit (racketeering).
The state witness, Mzinyathi, admitted that the funds mentioned in the audit report were not transfered to any of the business entities or church departments belonging to the Bushiris.
Further Heever also asked the South African government to drop the charge of forgery which the defendant is being charged surrounding the purchase of an airplane because the key witness in the case died.
She argued that since the owner of the alleged forged signature died there can never be any competent witness hence the South African government does not have a case.
According to Heever, the wife of the deceased only says the signature resembles that of her husband which can never be taken seriously. But the State witness, Mzinyathi, says they may find other means of substantiating the case.
Meanwhile, the court has adjourned the case to Wednesday when the state will start re-examination of their witness.
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