Shrien Dewani, the British businessman accused of arranging the murder of his bride during their honeymoon in South Africa, will be extradited to stand trial.
The Home Secretary has ruled that Dewani must go to South Africa to face charges of murder, kidnapping, robbery, conspiracy to commit murder and obstructing the administration of justice.
A British government spokesman said: “The Home Secretary, having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed an order for Shrien Prakash Dewani’s extradition to South Africa.
“Mr Dewani now has the opportunity, within 14 days, to appeal to the High Court against the decision of the District Judge and/or the Home Secretary.”
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Dewani and his wife Anni had been married two weeks when they were held at gunpoint in a taxi they were taking through the township of Gugulethu, near Cape Town.
Apparently Dewani and the driver were forced out of the car, and the taxi sped off with the bride still inside. She was later found shot dead in the abandoned vehicle.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo then confessed to the murder of Anni, and claimed Dewani had paid him to do it. Tongo even alleged that Dewani had haggled over the price of the hit via text message from the back of the cab while his wife looked at their honeymoon photos on a digital camera.
Implicating Dewani in the murder has reduced Tongo’s punishment. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison in December.
Dewani was checked into a secure mental health unit in the UK as his lawyers fought the extradition.
His defence team has argued that he is mentally unfit to stand trial and will be subjected to violent sexual assault if jailed in South Africa, putting him at risk of HIV infection.
Anni’s family welcomed the decision to extradite Dewani. Her father, Vinod Hindocha, has said that Dewani’s standing trial is the only way for the family to get “closure” over Anni’s death.
