South African police arrest prophet Shepherd Bushiri and wife for money laundering and fraud

PRETORIA, South Africa – Prophet Shepherd Bushuri and his spouse, Mary, have been seized by South African police on Friday in a fraud and cash laundering investigation involving over R15 million, his church confirmed.

Bushiri, the chief of the Enlightened Christian Gathering Church (ECG), was led away in handcuffs along with his spouse after South Africa’s elite investigations unit, the HAWKS, raided his Glowing Waters Resort in Rustenburg simply after 7AM.

“He has been detained and is being questioned by the Hawks in Silverton, Pretoria,” the church later confirmed in a press release.

The church launched no additional particulars concerning the nature of the costs. In April final 12 months, newspaper experiences stated the Hawks have been investigating Bushiri for cash laundering over claims that he was sending an estimated R15 million a month to Malawi, his nation of start.

The cash is allegedly transported out of South Africa in Bushiri’s non-public jet and different automobiles. On the time, Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi stated: “The matter has been dropped at our consideration. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless in its infancy stage. It’s in opposition to our coverage to reveal data on any of our investigations.”

It was a day of combined feelings for Bushiri, whose church was cleared on Friday of any accountability over a lethal December 28 stampede that left three folks useless, and 17 others injured.

The Fee for the Promotion and Safety of the Rights of Cultural, Spiritual and Linguistic Communities, a constitutional physique, held a two-day listening to this week and concluded that the church totally complied with security rules.

A storm hit Pretoria that night time, resulting in panic amongst congregants. A stampede adopted in one of many halls the place folks have been gathered for an 20:00 service. The Fee additionally threw out calls for for Bushiri to be deported again to Malawi, saying such a discovering could be “discriminatory.”