LONDON, (Reuters) – The British millionaire accused of murdering his bride while the couple were on honeymoon in South Africa was granted bail by a High Court judge yesterday.
A previous application for bail by businessman Shrien Dewani had been blocked when South African authorities appealed against it.
Dewani, 30, is accused by South Africa of hiring a hitman to murder his 28-year-old wife Anni, a former model and Swedish national, who was shot dead last month.
She was found in the back of an abandoned taxi in a Cape Town township with a single bullet wound to her neck.
Dewani denies any involvement in her murder.
Lawyers for South African prosecutors said Dewani should be denied bail because there was reason to believe he would not turn up for an extradition hearing later this month if he were released on bail, the Press Association reported.
Mr Justice Ouseley disagreed and allowed the bail application, noting his willingness to cooperate with the investigation into his wife’s death.
The taxi driver, Zola Tongo, who says he was offered 15,000 rand ($2,165) by Dewani to kill his wife, has pleaded guilty to four charges, including murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances, for which he has been sentenced to an effective 18 years in prison.
Two of his co-accused remain in prison awaiting trial.
Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym in Bristol, faces electronic tagging, home curfew and having to report daily to the police.
He was held in custody after the South African authorities issued a provisional arrest warrant as the first stage to seeking his extradition.
The warrant came after the taxi driver accused Dewani of offering to pay for his wife’s murder and ordering it to appear like a bungled carjacking as they drove through the notorious township of Gugulethu.
The driver’s allegation formed part of a plea agreement drawn up with prosecutors at Western Cape High Court in South Africa, where he was jailed for 18 years earlier this week for his part in the killing.
The court heard that although Tongo had promised 15,000 rand to the alleged hitmen, Xolile Mnguni and Mziwamadoda Qwabe, they were only given 10,000 rand.
Dewani withdrew just over 10,000 rand over the two days before the shooting.
