Indian-origin businessman Shrien Dewani was today charged by a South African court with plotting his wife's murder during their honeymoon and was remanded to a psychiatric hospital, shortly after being extradited from the UK.
After being flown by a chartered flight to Cape Town, Dewani, 34, was escorted straight to the Western Cape High Court, where he was formally charged with the murder of his 28-year-old Indo-Swedish wife Anni in 2010, in a case that has made international headlines.
During the court proceedings, the prosecution and defence agreed Dewani should be remanded to Valkenberg psychiatric hospital.
Dewani sat passively as Judge John Hlophe ruled that he would be remanded in custody at the mental institution.
The case has been postponed to May 12.
According to Mthunzi Mhaga, spokesperson of the Department of Justice, Dewani has been charged with murder and will also face charges relating to conspiracy to commit the murder and defeating the ends of justice.
Mhaga said a private aircraft was used to transport Dewani due to his peculiar medical condition, which needs to be monitored as travelling on a commercial flight could have compromised his security and adversely affected his pending medical examination, state-run news portal sanews.Gov.Za reported.
Dewani was put on the flight to Cape Town from London's Heathrow Airport yesterday to face charges for ordering the contract killing of his wife which he has denied.
He was taken from Fromeside Hospital in the British city of Bristol, to the airport by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service Extradition Unit. They were met there by officials from the South African authorities who escorted him to the flight.
Dewani was originally arrested by officers from the extradition unit on December 7, 2010 at the request of the South African authorities.
His extradition comes after three years of a protracted legal battle to keep the Bristol-based businessman in the UK.
