/ 8 December 2010

Dewani ‘welcomes chance to clear his name’

Dewani 'welcomes Chance To Clear His Name'

Murder accused Shrien Dewani is “devastated” by the “false allegations” against him and welcomes the opportunity to clear his name in court, his spokesperson said on Wednesday.

The British businessman was arrested at the request of South African authorities on suspicion of conspiring to have his Swedish bride murdered while on honeymoon, police said on Wednesday.

Shrien Dewani was revealed as the alleged mastermind behind the death of his wife Anni in a dramatic turn of events in the high profile honeymoon murder case. View our slideshow as events unfolded at the Western Cape High Court on Tuesday December 7 2010.

“Shrien Dewani had no involvement in the death of his wife, Anni,” read a statement released by public relations practitioner Max Clifford.

“He is devastated by her murder and the false allegations that have been made against him and welcomes the chance to clear his name through the courts.

“He will appear before the City of Westminster Magistrate’s Court this afternoon [Wednesday] and in the circumstances has been advised it would not be right for him to make any further comment outside the court,” read the statement, signed by Clare Montgomery, QC.

Warrant of arrest
The South African Police Service said earlier on Wednesday that it had issued a warrant of arrest for Shrien, accused of plotting to kill his wife while on honeymoon in South Africa, and forwarded the document to British authorities.

“I can confirm that a warrant for the arrest of the husband of the slain tourist, Anni Dewani, was obtained by the South African Police Service after testimony implicating Shrien Dewani in her murder was given in court,” Brigadier Sally de Beer said in a statement.

“The warrant of arrest was forwarded to our counterparts in the UK [the Foreign Assistance Division], who acknowledged receipt and advised that they would act on it. The normal processes will now be followed, in conjunction with relevant role players, in order to ensure that justice takes it’s course in this matter,” said De Beer.

Scotland Yard said in a statement on Wednesday: “Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Extradition Unit have yesterday, Tuesday December 7, arrested Shrien Prakash Dewani [30] on behalf of the South African authorities.”

“He surrendered himself at a Bristol police station and was arrested … under a provisional arrest warrant issued earlier on the same evening, at the request of the South African authorities, on suspicion of conspiring to murder Anni Dewani.”

He faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder.

Meanwhile, British newspaper the Sun reported an extradition application was being prepared ahead of the proceedings.

Scotland Yard had also been asked by South African authorities to run checks on cellphone calls made by Shrien from the UK, it reported.

Anni’s family on Tuesday night called for Dewani to return to South Africa.

“We weren’t told what would come out in court and it came as a shock,” Anni’s father, Vinod Hindocha, told the publication.

Plea agreement
The arrest came hours after the Cape High Court heard that Dewani paid to have his new bride killed. Cape Town shuttle driver Zola Tongo (31) was jailed for an effective 18 years on Tuesday for his role in the plot, following a plea bargain with the state.

Anni (28), from Sweden, was honeymooning in Cape Town when she and her husband were allegedly hijacked while in a minibus taxi on Saturday November 13. Shrien claimed the hijackers had forced him out of the vehicle. Anni’s body was found in the abandoned vehicle the next day. She had been shot.

In a statement handed in as part of a plea agreement, Tongo revealed how he and Shrien had participated in a fake hijacking.

“The agreement was that after the hijacking of the vehicle, both Shrien Dewani and I would be ejected from the vehicle unharmed, after which the deceased would be kidnapped and robbed, before she was murdered,” he said.

The couple, who had been married for two weeks, were travelling through Cape Town’s Gugulethu township at the time of the hijacking. Tongo was convicted of murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and perverting the course of justice.

Two other people, Xolile Mnguni (23) and Mziwamadoda Qwabe (25), face charges of murder, aggravated robbery and kidnapping. They were expected to appear in court in February next year.

Dewani returned to England after the murder and denied any involvement in it. — Sapa