Businessman Shrien Dewani, who is accused of murdering his wife on their honeymoon, has hired a top South African legal firm to represent him, the Sunday Times reported.
The law firm Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs was assembling a team of expert criminal lawyers to defend Dewani if and when he went on trial at the high court in Cape Town.
The Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court, in south-east London, ruled on Wednesday that Dewani could be extradited to South Africa to stand trial.
Judge Howard Riddle said he had confidence in the South African justice system.
The judge said there would be “undoubted hardship” for Dewani if he were extradited to South Africa.
“However, when all relevant factors are considered, the risk of hardship falls short of oppression. The public interest in extradition and trial outweighs the competing hardship,” Riddle said.
An application to extradite Dewani was to be passed to Home Secretary Theresa May for a final decision. She and UK Immigration Minister Damian Green have eight weeks to approve or reject the application.
Anni Dewani died in an apparent hijacking while on honeymoon in Cape Town while on honeymoon in November last year.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo claimed Dewani had asked him to hire two men to kill Anni in a fake hijacking. Tongo is serving an 18-year jail sentence for his part in Anni’s death.
Dewani’s defence team had argued that he was mentally unfit to stand trial and would face violent sexual assault and the risk of HIV infection in a South African prison. – Sapa