Shrien and Anni Dewani
Home Secretary Theresa May has signed an order for Bristol businessman Shrien Dewani to be extradited to South Africa to face murder charges.
Mr Dewani, from Westbury-on-Trym, is accused of organising the murder of his new bride, Anni, in Cape Town last year on their honeymoon.
He now has 14 days to appeal to the High Court against his extradition, a Home Office spokesman said.
“On Monday September 26 the Home Secretary, having carefully considered all relevant matters, signed an order for Shrien Prakash Dewani’s extradition to South Africa,” the spokesman said.
“Mr Dewani now has the opportunity, within 14 days, to appeal to the High Court against the decision of the District Judge and/or the Home Secretary.”
Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court in south-east London ruled last month he should be sent back to the country to stand trial.
Suspicion fell on Dewani after his new bride was shot dead when the couple’s cab was hijacked in the Gugulethu township.
Taxi driver Zola Tongo, who has admitted his part in the crime, claimed in a plea agreement with prosecutors that Dewani ordered the carjacking and paid for a hit on his wife.
Last week, the family of Anni Dewani handed in a petition to the Home Secretary to calling for her husband to be extradited.
Her father Vinod Hindocha said: “We need closure for this case and we demand that. Tell us the truth of what happened to Anni and why. That’s all we want to know. We are waiting for the answers and the only way we can get these answers is by Shrien going to South Africa and giving us the answers.”
He affirmed his faith in the British justice system and said the family was “quite confident” Ms May would help.
Dewani, who is said to be suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder and being treated at a clinic in Bristol, denies any wrongdoing.
