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Not only do the preacher and his wife face charges of fraud and money laundering, but their badets must also be seized
While the controversial "prophet" Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary are fighting for their freedom, the state is already monitoring their badets.
The couple, who was arrested Friday at the Sparkling Waters hotel in Rustenburg, is scheduled to appear in the Pretoria Commercial Crime Tribunal on Monday, where he is expected to be formally charged and apply for bail.
But this will only be the beginning of their legal setbacks.
City Press learned Saturday that the Asset Confiscation Unit (AFU), a branch of the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPA), is joining the judicial fight against the controversial couple and filed a conservation order to seize their badets, pending finalization of the project. the criminal case against them.
Two sources aware of the changing situation said that the AFU had already filed an application with the High Court of Pretoria in order to obtain permission to seize homes and homes. Bushiris luxury cars, as well as the private jet of the so-called Gulfstream of the Prophet, parked in a private hangar at Lanseria Airport outside Johannesburg.
Bushiri is sitting in the lounge of the Sparkling Waters hotel in Rustenburg, which he launched last year. It has several properties.
Shepherd (35), infamous for having organized "miracles" in her Pretoria church, owns several properties in South Africa and others in her home country, Malawi, with his wife Mary , 37 years old.
They also boast a fleet of luxury cars, including a Maserati, a Rolls-Royce, a Aston Martin and a $ 3 million R $ 3 million Mercedes that Shepherd bought Mary for her birthday in 2017.
He also bought a Maserati for his daughter in December 2017 as a gift for his sixth birthday.
But if the NPA achieves its ends, the Bushiris will no longer have access to their valuable badets.
"The conservation order could be granted next week," said a source on Saturday.
Another source said the process was to proceed quickly as authorities feared that Bushiri would start selling his badets to finance his defense and that of his wife, and to hide their other holdings in the state.
Bushiri in front of one of his luxury homes. Among his cars, he owns a Maserati, a Rolls-Royce, an Aston Martin and a Mercedes.
City Press obtained an affidavit from the investigating officer in this case, a colonel from the Hawks' organized crime unit.
It appears that the AFU investigators identified the properties, cars and bank accounts that they asked the High Court to preserve.
The affidavit dated Thursday used to obtain the arrest warrants of the couple indicates that it is presumed that he committed fraud and money laundering and that he violated the law on the prevention of organized crime, crimes that have been committed since 2015.
They also reportedly breached the exchange control regulations by paying 1,177,200 USD (15.3 million rand) in cash, in US dollars, for his private jet, said Hawks spokesman Hangwani Mulaudzi.
HIGH FLIER The so-called prophet Shepherd Bushiri uses his high tech gadget while he was sitting in the private Gulfstream jet that his wife would have paid in cash
According to the affidavit, on November 19, 2015, the so-called prophetess Mary Bushiri purchased the Gulfstream III Model 1159 aircraft from 1984 from National Airways Corporation (NAC) for a total price of $ 1,250,000. $.
The Bushiris regularly commute between South Africa and Malawi in their private jet.
"On November 20, 2015, two payments were made and receipts were issued," says the affidavit.
Shepherd and Mary Bushiri before their arrest on Friday. They regularly went to Malawi on a private jet.
A receipt was issued on the same day to "Major Prophet Shepherd Bushiri" for a cash amount of $ 1,147,200.
A source told City Press that Mary had gone to the company's offices in Johannesburg with a lot of money.
On the same day, another receipt issued by the NAC – also to the "Great Prophet Shepherd Bushiri" – related to the amount, in local currency, of R $ 1,444,340, which represented the balance of the payment of the aircraft .
But the SA Reserve Bank got wind of the sale and, on May 8 last year, sent an email to the Bushiris' lawyers, asking them to provide full information on the procedure for acquiring the aircraft.
About six weeks later, Shepherd sent the Reserve Bank an affidavit stating that he had obtained a $ 1.25 million loan for the purchase of the aircraft from the US supply and maintenance company. aircraft, Joint Aviation Resources (JAR).
Bushiri told the Reserve Bank that his church "had repaid the funds in South Africa to JAR" and that the source of funds came from donations made to his "department", the states' affidavit.
Bushiri also reportedly told the central bank that "JAR will be able to provide proof that they have been fully reimbursed".
"Copies of the 24 payment receipts were attached to his statement," says the affidavit.
But when his claims were further investigated and the Reserve Bank officials requested copies of the so-called prophet's bank statements, they could not find that such a payment had been made. been done.
Last August, Hawks investigators approached JAR and obtained sworn affidavits indicating that Bushiri had been granted a loan by the company and that his alleged fake loan contract had been challenged by his representatives.
"JAR, to their knowledge, has never received the payments shown on the receipts. More importantly, JAR stated that it was neither authorized nor authorized to do business as a credit officer or to issue business loans, "the affidavit states.
The affidavit also indicates that during the search of Bushiri's offices at Waterfall Office Park in Midrand last May, the police also uncovered an undisclosed amount of foreign currency.
Known as "Major 1" for his followers, Shepherd shocked them when he announced the sale of tables at a gala dinner he was organizing, the price of which was going to from 1,000 to 25,000 rand. he charges money for a private prayer session, allegation that he denies.
Bushiri's lawyer, Terrance Baloyi, did not respond to calls or text messages sent on Saturday.
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