LONDON, (Reuters) – A millionaire Briton accused of murdering his bride while the couple were on honeymoon in South Africa must remain in custody after South African authorities appealed against a London court granting him bail yesterday.
Businessman Shrien Dewani, 30, was held by extradition officers on behalf of South African authorities after handing himself in to a police station near his home in Bristol, western England, late on Tuesday.
He is accused of conspiring to murder his 28-year-old wife Anni, a former model and Swedish national, who was shot dead last month in Cape Town. Dewani denies any involvement in her murder.
He was granted bail of 250,000 pounds ($395,000) at a central London court, but the South African authorities immediately lodged an appeal, which means he will be held in custody pending another court hearing.
In court, Dewani said he did not consent to any extradition.
His lawyer said her client was accused by a group of self-confessed robbers and murderers desperate to escape a life sentence.
She branded the case against him as “flimsy” and suggested it was cooked up to defend the reputation of South Africa as a tourist destination, the Press Association reported.
But prosecutors at his bail hearing argued he remained the chief suspect and the instigator behind the murder.
“I’m totally innocent of any involvement in this horrendous crime. These allegations are totally ludicrous and … very hurtful to a young man who is grieving the loss of the woman he loved,” Dewani said in a statement.
Outside court the family of Anni Dewani said they wanted a trial to take place and for him to be extradited.
“We just want to see justice being done, all the evidence being listened to and a fair trial — justice for Anni is all we are looking for,” they told reporters in a joint statement.
On Tuesday, South African state prosecutor Rodney de Kock told the Western Cape High Court that taxi driver Zola Tongo, arrested after the murder, was offered 15,000 rand ($2,165) by Dewani as part of plot.
“The deceased was murdered at the instance of her husband,” de Kock said in reading out a plea bargain agreement in which Tongo pleaded guilty to all four charges, including murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.
The court was told that Dewani approached Tongo shortly after arriving in South Africa and helped mastermind the murder.
Tongo was sentenced to an effective 18 years in prison while two of his co-accused remain in prison.
