20101210
SAPA

Johannesburg — SA's National Prosecuting Authority would continue preparing extradition papers for UK businessman Shrien Dewani after he was granted bail in the High Court in London on Friday.

"We respect the ruling and won't take the matter further," said NPA spokesman advocate Mthunzi Mhaga.

"We are still busy preparing the necessary extradition papers to submit to the department of justice, which is the central authority on extradition. We can't commit to timeframes," he said.

The SA Police Service said on Wednesday it had issued a warrant of arrest for Dewani, accused of plotting to kill his wife Anni while on honeymoon in SA, and forwarded the document to British authorities.

Dewani appeared in court in London on Wednesday and was granted bail, which the South African authorities appealed on Friday.

Earlier, Agence France Presse reported that Dewani was granted bail in the appeal.

Freelance Cape Town shuttle driver Zola Tongo said in a plea agreement in the Cape High Court this week that he helped arrange hitmen, at Dewani's request, to kill his new bride Anni.

Dewani said they were hijacked after a spur-of-the-moment decision to explore the nightlife of Gugulethu. Her body was found in the shuttle the next day in Khayelitsha.

More information on the as yet untested allegation on Dewani's and the hitmen's alleged involvement, is expected to emerge when the other two people he implicated appear in court in February.