Malawi Court adjourns the Bushiris extradition case to July
The Chief Resident Magistrate’s court in Lilongwe has adjourned the Bushiri extradition case to July 10, 2023 following the defence application that witnesses statements were not authenticated according to the law.
Both Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife were in court on Tuesday, so too the legal team from South Africa which wants the Bushiris extradited back to South Africa to face the law on suspected crimes in the Rainbow nation.
The court adjourned the matter to July 10, 2023 and gave the defence 14 days to make a formal application and also another 14 days for the state to respond.
Bushiri’s lawyer Wapona Kita, in his oral submission argued that the state has also not made full disclosures.
“The extradition request must be dismissed without hearing the so called evidence in support of it. All witnesses are not authenticated according to the two rulings on this matter,” said Kits.
Senior State Advocate from the Director of Public Prosecutions ( DPP) Dziko Malunda described as an ambush, the preliminary objection by the defence saying it was supposed to have been filed formally.
In her ruling chief resident magistrate Madalitso Chimwaza observed that the application by the defence goes to the very core of the case hence the decision to allow for a formal application.
Earlier Malunda informed the court that state had lined up six witnesses to be paraded but now only one witness will testify .
The witness is a Director of Public Prosecutions for Gauteng Province in South Africa, Sibongile Mnzinyathi.
