The Malawi High Court has ordered that a local magistrate’s court should continue with extradition committal proceedings in the case of self-proclaimed Prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife, Mary.
Judge Redson Kapindu delivered judgment virtually on Tuesday in a review relating to South African witnesses in the extradition hearing.
In the judgment, Kapindu gave several directives including that South African-based witnesses’ physical presence was not the only way to authenticate evidence.Â
Kapindu noted that virtual hearings have risks, but said the court has a discretion when it comes to virtual testimony.
He said:Â “The law generally requires physical presence but [this is] not an inflexible rule of thumb, [the] court has a discretion where witnesses can testify virtually.”
The Bushiris’ main extradition hearing is enrolled in the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court in Malawi. However, the matter was delayed due to the review hearing, which was held virtually in July 2021.
