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  • Anni Dewani’s Family Criticizes Court Decision

    Since Anni Dewani was murdered in 2010 her family has demanded answers. This week a South African judge dismissed the murder case against Dewani’s husband, Shrien Dewani, meaning those answers may never come.

    Shrien was cleared of five charges on Monday including conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery, and murder. South African prosecutors had claimed that he arranged the kidnapping and murder of Anni during the couple’s honeymoon, citing his bisexuality as a possible motive.

    Anni Dewani’s family expressed grief and anger following the case dismissal on Monday. Members of the family told the BBC that they had been “failed” by the South African justice system. Ami Denborg, Anni’s sister, stated that the family was “deeply disappointed” to be left without answers after four years of legal proceedings.

    “The whole wedding was a drama, was false” Vinod Hindocha, Anni’s father, told the Daily Mail this week. “I’m going to sue [Shrien] for that. Not for money, but for the loss of my daughter.”

    Anni Dewani, then Anni Hindocha, married British businessman Shrien Dewani in 2010. The couple honeymooned in South Africa in October of that year. Several days into the honeymoon the couple took a taxi to Gugulethu, a township outside of Cape Town that is notorious for its crime.

    It was there that two armed men hijacked the taxi. Shrien was thrown out of the taxi and contacted police. The abandoned taxi was found later with Anni inside. She had apparently been robbed and had been shot to death.

    In the following weeks South African police arrested the two hijackers and then the taxi driver. The taxi driver was offered a plea deal to testify that Shrien had set up the kidnapping and paid to have Anni murdered.

    That plea deal would eventually become a key part of the case’s dismissal. Judge Jeanette Traverso ruled that the prosecution did not have enough evidence to convict Shrien and pointed out that the taxi driver’s testimony was “riddled with contradictions.”

    The case against Shrien was delayed by a prolonged extradition fight. Eventually he was extradited in April of this year. Anni’s family had supported the extradition and Denborg said at the time that it was “just one step” in the “battle” to find out what happened to her sister.

  • Anni Dewani’s Mother Calls Shrien Dewani A “Coward”

    Shrien Dewani was recently cleared by a South African court of any involvement in the murder of his wife, Anni Dewani. The 34-year-old millionaire was accused of hiring hitmen to murder his wife during their honeymoon in South Africa. Shortly after the ruling, Mr. Dewani flew back to the UK. It’s been reported that Mr. Dewani received VIP treatment during the nine-hour flight as well as upon arrival in Gatwick early this morning. A passenger in the flight claimed, “He looked quite at ease. He had a quick chat with the pilot when he passed through the cabin.”

    Anni’s family are still in shock following the verdict. Nilam Hindocha, Anni’s mother, spoke to the press for the first time since the trial. “He didn’t have the guts to face us. He was a coward in the court, always a coward,” Mrs. Hindocha told the press after seeing footage of Dewani’s arrival back in Gatwick. “I don’t think any other men would leave their wives like that. If he really loved her he would have fought for her,” Mrs. Hindocha added. “I didn’t see any marks on him, there was no sign that he had put up any fight for her. He had thought only about himself.”

    And while the murder case is now out of the South African court’s hands, Anni’s family vows that it’s not over yet. “We are looking at all the options that are presented to us, we need to get our family together back home and think over this during the forthcoming holidays and consult with our lawyers how to go on with this matter,” Anni’s uncle, Ashok Hindocha, told The Independent.

    The prosecutors for the case argued that Shrien, who admitted to being bi-sexual during the trial, felt that he was trapped in the marriage. However, the case was thrown out by presiding judge Jeanette Traverso because she claims that the evidence presented against Mr. Dewani was filled with contradictions.

  • Anni Dewani: Husband Cleared Of Murder To Family’s Outrage

    Anni Dewani was murdered in South Africa while on honeymoon with her husband in 2010, and this week, her husband was cleared of any involvement in her shooting. Her family says they believe justice has not been served.

    Shrien Dewani, a British businessman whose alleged involvement with male prostitutes has raised issue with Anni’s family, claims he had no part in the hijacking of the couple’s taxi the night she was shot to death, and a judge agrees, saying that the prosecution’s witness’s story was “riddled with contradictions” and that there was not enough evidence to provide a reasonable doubt regarding Dewani’s claims.

    “Today we feel as a family that the justice system has failed us and we are deeply disappointed,” said Anni Dewani’s sister Ami Denborg. “We came here looking for answers and we came here looking for the truth and all we got was more questions. We waited patiently for four years to hear what really happened to Anni and to hear the full story of what happened to our dearest little sister. All we wanted was to hear all the events and the hope of actually finding that out has kept us, as a family, going. Unfortunately we believe that this right has now been taken away from us.”

    Dewani was chased by the media at the airport after he was released on Monday, reportedly boarding a first-class flight to the UK with his family.

    “He looked quite at ease. He had a quick chat with the pilot when he passed through the cabin. His brother and sister-in-law all sat toge‎ther in one group,” a passenger reportedly told The Daily Mail.

    Anni’s family reportedly feel there are grounds for a lawsuit against Dewani for not revealing his sexual preferences to his wife before they married and allowing them to pay for the expensive event, though it has not been confirmed that a suit is pending.

  • Anni Dewani’s Husband Cleared Of Murder By South African Court

    Shrien Dewani has been cleared by the South African court of his involvement in the murder of his wife, Anni Dewani. According to Judge Jeanette Traverso, the testimony of the main witness that implicates Mr. Dewani is far too inconsistent and “riddled with contradictions”. She also said that the evidence presented by the prosecution was not enough to support their case against Mr. Dewani. The Bristol-based businessman was extradited to South Africa earlier this year after he was accused of planning the murder of his wife during their honeymoon back in November 2010.

    Anni’s family expressed their disappointment at the verdict when they spoke to the press outside the Western Cape High Court. Ami Denborg, Anni’s sister, said that the justice system has failed her family. “We came here looking for answers and we came here looking for the truth and all we got was more questions. We waited patiently for four years to hear what really happened to Anni and to hear the full story of what happened to our dearest little sister,” she told reporters.

    Ami added, “All we wanted was to hear all the events and the hope of actually finding that out has kept us, as a family, going. Unfortunately we believe that this right has now been taken away from us.”

    Anni was killed after a taxi she and Shrien were in was hijacked. Shrien and the driver, Zolo Tongo, claimed that they were forced out of the car and the suspects drove off with Anni in tow. Her body was found the next day, with a gunshot wound to the neck. Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni were arrested for the murder. Tongo was also arrested and plead guilty to being involved in the crime, but in exchange for a reduced sentence, he claimed that Shrien hired him and the two hitmen to kill his wife.

  • Shrien Dewani Murder Case Dismissed

    Shrien Dewani, the British millionaire accused of arranging the murder of his wife during their honeymoon, was cleared of all charges today by a South African judge. According to a BBC News report, Judge Jeanette Traverso threw out the case when it became clear prosecutors did not have enough evidence to convict Dewani.

    Dewani, a businessman who was raised in Bristol, married Anni Hindocha in Mumbai, India on October 29, 2010. The couple left for their honeymoon soon after, landing in Cape Town on November 7. Days later the couple’s taxi was hijacked by two armed men in Gugulethu, a township just outside of Cape Town. Shrien claims that he was thrown out of the taxi and then contacted police. Anni Dewani was later found in the abandoned taxi, robbed and shot to death.

    Later in November 2010 the two hijackers and the taxi driver were arrested in connection with the crime. Police then arrested a fourth suspect,revealed that they believe the hijacking and murder were planned, and requested that Dewani return to South Africa. The taxi driver, Zola Tongo, testified under a plea bargain that Dewani had paid him to arrange Anni’s murder.

    Following a prolonged extradition battle Dewani was extradited to South Africa in April of this year. This morning he was cleared of five charges including conspiracy to commit kidnapping, robbery, and murder.

    According to the BBC report, the prosecution’s case rested on the salacious story that Dewani is bisexual and often hired male prostitutes. The prosecution claimed that Dewani had planned his wife’s murder to escape an unhappy marriage.

    Judge Traverso also took issue with the prosecution’s key witness, Tongo, saying that his testimony was “riddled with contradictions.”

    Anni Dewani’s family, many of whom who attended the trial, told the BBC that they were disappointed in the ruling. During the extradition process they had supported Dewani’s extradition and had repeatedly said their motive was to find out what happened to Anni.

  • Anni Dewani’s Ex-Husband Extradited To South Africa

    Shrien Dewani, the UK resident who was accused of murdering his wife, was sent back to South Africa this week to finally face trial.

    If you remember, back in 2010 Dewani was accused of organizing a hit on his wife, Anni Dewani, while the two were celebrating their nuptials in Cape Town. Reportedly, they were accosted inside of a cab, and Anni was tragically shot in the neck and died.

    Based on Shrien’s account, they were the victims of a random attack, but the driver of the cab said otherwise. According to what he said, Shrien gave him and a gunman $1500 to carry out the hit, but Shrien has adamantly denied those accusations, and said he had nothing to do with his wife’s murder.

    For the past three years he’s been fighting hard not to get sent back to South Africa from the UK, because he believes he can’t get a fair trial there, as the case has made international headlines.

    But this past Monday he was put back on a plane to face murder charges, which obviously pleased Anni’s family. However, they couldn’t believe how long everything took.

    “We were extremely surprised that it took such a long time,” said Anni’s uncle, Ashok Hindocha. “Everybody wants to know what happened to Anni…Why did she die? There are three people pointing fingers at the husband. He’s a suspect. He has a lot of questions to answer. We need those answers so we can move on.”

    Anish Hindocha, Anni’s brother, said he has confidence in the South African judicial system, and he expects the authorities and the judge will get to the bottom of things once and for all.

    “The whole world will be watching this case,” he said. “And I am sure we will get a fair trial in South Africa.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Shrien Dewani’s Extradition Pleases Victim’s Family

    A judge ruled today that English businessman Shrien Dewani, who is thought to have had a hand in the death of his wife Anni, will be extradited to Cape Town, South Africa to face charges.

    Dewani allegedly plotted to have his wife killed while the couple was on their honeymoon in South Africa. The plot is said to have involved a hitman that was hired to murder Dewani’s wife during a fake car jacking.

    His extradition had been halted for two years as his legal team fought the original order. The team claims that Dewani was not in the proper mental state to be sent back to South Africa. They claim that he suffers from post-traumatic stress, depression, and is a suicide risk. The threat of extradition, the defense claims, impeded his recovery and even worsened his condition.

    Although the judge ordered that Dewani be extradited, he was also sensitive to his mental stability. Dewani will receive treatment at a Cape Town hospital and will only go on trial when deemed fit, which may be some time.

    Anni’s family was relieved by the news, but they know that no court order can bring back what they have lost. Anni’s sister, Ami Denborg has this to say about the decision:

    “For us it is all about Anni, it’s all about finding out what happened. We will fight this battle to the end and this battle has just begun. We just want to know what happened to Anni and this is just one step. It’s been really hard on the family, we are struggling every day.”

    Dewani’s family announced that they will appeal the ruling, so there appears to be no foreseeable end to the saga and no answers for the family of the victim.