Dewani ruled fit to stand trial
SHRIEN Dewani, the British millionaire businessman suspected of the 2010 honeymoon murder of his wife, is fit to stand trial, a Cape Town court ruled yesterday.
The trial of Dewani, who was extradited from Britain in April, will begin on October 6, Judge John Hlophe ruled after receiving an expert assessment stating that Dewani was not mentally ill.
Dewani, 34, is accused of hiring three South Africans to kill his 28-year-old Swedish bride Anni in Cape Town in November 2010.
He denies the charge, claiming he and his wife were hijacked at gunpoint during their honeymoon as they drove through the Gugulethu township in a taxi.
Dewani escaped unharmed, but his wife’s body was found in the abandoned vehicle the next day. She had been shot.
Three South Africans have been tried and convicted for their role in Anni’s death.
The case sparked outrage among South Africans who accuse Dewani of callously using the country’s reputation for violent crime to murder his wife in the belief that he would get away with it.
The prosecution is expected to argue that Dewani is gay and plotted to have his wife killed to escape an arranged marriage.
Dewani, who had returned to Britain, fought extradition for three years before he was extradited on the under- standing that if he was not found fit to face trial within 18 months, he would be returned to Britain.
Prosecutor Rodney de Kok read from the report: “The accused is not mentally ill. He is not certifiable in terms of the Mental Health Act. The accused is fit to stand trial.”
The judge set the pre-trial hearing for September 9.
Dewani’s lawyers said they would not contest the ruling.
“He is fit to stand trial,” defence advocate Francois van Zyl said. “That is the unanimous finding of all the experts.”