Defense attorneys have finished cross-examining Sibongile Mnzinyathi, the South African Director of Public Prosecutions for the Gauteng Province, in the Prophet Shepherd Bushiri extradition case.
Over the course of several days, Mnzinyathi was questioned by Bushiri’s attorneys, Wapona Kita and Annelene Van Den Heever, on a number of topics pertaining to the extradition request and its progression.
According to reports, the court was presented with a number of noteworthy disclosures, one of which was the 2018 withdrawal of r@pe cases against Bushiri. Furthermore, a supposedly falsified KPMG report surfaced, indicating that organisations associated with Bushiri profited from a company charged with embezzling money from congregants.
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Van Den Heever centered his cross-examination on the financial evidence that Mnzinyathi had provided, casting doubt on the veracity of the numbers, dates, and bank records pertaining to the alleged racketeering and money laundering.
Mnzinyathi acknowledged that none of Bushiri’s corporate organisations or church departments received the monies referenced in the audit report.
Van Den Heever further contended that since the primary witness in the case has d!ed away and there is no longer a qualified witness available to testify, the accusation of forgery pertaining to the acquisition of an airplane should be dismissed.
Mnzinyathi did, however, hint that the state might look into other ways to support the claim. The state’s witness will be reexamined by the court on Wednesday, the day the case was postponed.
