Shrien Dewani will be extradited back to South Africa to stand trial for the murder of his wife Anni. – image – www.2oceansvibe.com
Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle considered all the information brought before him in the Shrien Dewani extradition case and decided that it would be in the best interests of justice for Dewani to be extradited back to South Africa. Shrien Dewani stands accused of masterminding the murder of his wife Anni while they were on honeymoon in Cape Town.
Three South African men have since been sent to prison for the young bride’s murder. They claimed that they were hired and paid by Shrien Dewani to orchestrate the botched hijacking that ended up with Anni dead in a foreign country. Dewani insists that he was hijacked by strangers who set him free and took off with his wife. Anni was shot in the neck and left to die in the back of the car which was abandoned in Gugulethu, Cape Town.
Since November 2010, Anni’s family has waited patiently for justice to take its course so that they can hear from their son-in-law exactly what happened on the ill-fated honeymoon in South Africa. Anni’s family was present for the ruling at the Westminster Magistrates Court. They were satisfied with the ruling though it might be some time before the accused actually appears in court.
In 2011, Home Secretary Theresa May initiated Dewani’s return by signing the extradition papers. The delay was caused by a series of appeals by the Dewani legal team. The defense team was successful in March 2012 when the judge felt that Dewani was not mentally healthy and stable enough to withstand the extradition and pending trial.
On Wednesday, the same judge acknowledged the slight improvement in Dewani’s state of mind though “it has been slow”. Dewani will have access to expert medical care at the Valkensburg Psychiatric Hospital in Cape Town if it is necessary before he goes to trial. Speaking on behalf of the South African government, Hugo Keith QC said: “He will recover in time. There is no question that he won’t recover.”
Shrien Dewani has denied any involvement in the murder of his wife. He will soon have the chance to explain what reason the three convicted men could possibly have for falsely accusing him of this serious crime.
