Shrien Dewani extradition case to be reopened at High Court

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/22/shrien-dewani-extradition-high-court-south-africa

Version 0 of 1.

Shrien Dewani, the honeymoon murder suspect who is resisting extradition to South Africa, is to have his case reopened in the High Court in London.

A panel of three judges, headed by the lord chief justice Lord Thomas, is due to give its final decision on Tuesday afternoon.

Lord Thomas said it was accepted that the case should be reopened on one "point of law" relating to Dewani's status as "an accused person".

Dewani is accused of ordering the killing of his wife, Anni, 28, while the couple were on honeymoon in South Africa. She was kidnapped and shot dead in the back of a taxi in Cape Town in November 2010. His lawyers have argued that he should be tried in Britain because of his mental state.

Dewani, from Bristol, is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder at a UK clinic. A British judge ruled in July that while he was not yet fit to plead, the severity of the allegations meant the court had to place greater weight on the obligations under the UK's extradition agreement.

Police in South Africa claim that Dewani hired hitmen to kill his bride in Cape Town, but the businessman has always maintained that he was forced out of a taxi by thugs who hijacked and killed his wife.

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.