Shrien Dewani, a British businessman accused of hiring hit men to kill his wife, has left South Africa after being cleared by a judge on Monday.

Shrien Dewani Acquitted

Dewani, 34, was accused of paying about $1,300 to have his wife, Anni Dewani, killed while the couple was on their honeymoon. Anni Dewani was shot and killed in November of 2010 when their car was allegedly hijacked. Three men are currently serving long sentences for Anni’s murder, and prosecutors claimed that Dewani was a closeted bisexual who had been trying to find a way to end his relationship with his fiancée and then wife.

Judge Jeanette Traverso dropped the charges against Dewani on Monday, Dec. 8, saying that the evidence from the prosecution was “far below the threshold” of acceptable to convict, and ruled against forcing Dewani to testify for the prosecution. Dewani wasted no time leaving the country, heading straight or the airport and getting on a flight from Cape Town to Dubai.

Three Men Convicted Of Anni’s Murder

Zola Tongo, Mziwamadoda Qwabe and Xolile Mngeni were each convicted for their involvement in the murder, and the three were reportedly prepared to testify against Dewani. Tongo, a taxi driver, claimed that Dewani asked him to arrange his wife’s murder when he dropped the couple off at their hotel, but security footage from the hotel shows Dewani exiting the cab quickly. Tongo’s version of events had many other contradictory elements, causing the prosecution’s case to weaken, and eventually leading to the Judge’s dismissal of the charges against Dewani. Tongo was sentenced to 18-years in jail; Qwabe received a sentence of 25-years. Mngeni died of a brain tumor in prison.

Monde Mbolombo, who admitted to arranging the murder, was also set to testify and was offered immunity in exchange for his testimony. It’s unclear whether or not he will stand charges for his involvement.

The three men gave varying accounts of the murder, causing the judge to conclude that the testimonies were “so improbable, with so many mistakes, lies and inconsistencies you cannot see where the lies ended and the truth begins.”

Anni’s Sister Speaks

Ami Denborg, Anni Dewani’s sister, addressed the public outside the court, expressing her family’s sadness that the trial did not go forward. “Today we feel as a family that the justice system has failed us and we are deeply disappointed. 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… Unfortunately we believe that this right has now been taken away from us,” Denborg said.

South African National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Nathi Ncube clarified that the court had not found Dewani guilty, but rather was forced to acquit in the face of insufficient evidence. “The court did not find that he was innocent, the court said it could not rely on the evidence given by three witnesses who themselves had been convicted of the crime,” Ncube said.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.