IGN!S
Leader of the South Africa- based ministry, Enlightened Christian Gathering, Shepherd Bushiri, and his wife, have been arrested on charges of fraud.
Shepherd Bushiri shared news of his arrest in a post on the controversial self-proclaimed prophet’s Facebook page. The statement reads:
“They took the Prophet and our mother Prophetess Mary Bushiri in handcuffs to Pretoria. They have charged our father with fraud and money laundering,”
Bushiri and his wife were allegedly arrested by the Hawks police unit and face charges of fraud and money laundering, EWN reports.
Last year the Sunday World reported that the Hawks were investigating Bushiri for money laundering after senior members of the Bushiri’s church, the Enlightened Christian Gathering, claimed he was sending an estimated R15-million a month to his home country of Malawi,
The controversial prophet was arrested by the Hawks in Rustenburg, North West province.
The Hawks’ case against the pair, concerns alleged offences of fraud, money laundering and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. (POCA), committed from 2015, in relation to Exchange Control Regulations related to foreign currency in an amount of US$1 147 200.
The couple who run several business enterprises in South Africa and abroad are expected to appear before the Pretoria Commercial Crime Court on Monday.
ECG spokesperson Maynard Manyowa confirmed the arrest.
“This (Friday) morning, around 07:00 in the morning armed members of the police stormed Sparkling Waters Hotel in Rustenburg, South Africa.
We were later made aware that they were members of the Directorate for Priority Investigations (Hawks).
They took the Prophet and our mother Prophetess Mary Bushiri in handcuffs to Pretoria.”
Manyowa says the Hawks charged Bushiri with fraud and money laundering.
“As you will remember, from last year, we have struggled with reports that our father was guilty.”
Bushiri was initially held at a Pretoria police station, has been granted bail of R100,000,…and the case against him and his wife has since been postponed.
