A South African judge has acquitted a Briton businessman identified as Shrien Dewani on Monday who was said to have paid hitmen in order to kill his wife during their honeymoon in South Africa back in 2010.

Shrien allegedly hired hitmen to make it look like the death of his wife Anni Dewani was the result of a botched carjacking. However, the verdict by Judege Jeanette Traverso has prompted protesters to call on the justice minister to look into the case once again, reports say.

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The incident happened in a town located outside Cape Town and Shrien has been fighting the deportation from Britain ever since he was accused of murder. According to Traverso, there was no enough evidence for the court to convict Shrien.

The wealthy businessman said that he and Anni were kidnapped at gunpoint and he was forced out of the car when three men allegedly shot his wife to death.

The three South African men have been convicted for murder but testified that Shrien paid them ZAR15,000. However, these three men were questioned individually and their stories have been changed. Traverso noted that their testimonie were inconsistent.

Anni's family was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced and they bowed their heads after the announcement while other people in attendance shouted and exclaimed their disapproval of the ruling. Ami Denborg, the sister of Anni, said that the justice system has failed their family.

"Our family ... returns home with more questions than answers and sleepless nights for the rest of our lives," Anni's uncle Ashok Hindocha said.

The not-guilty verdict has been questioned by many protesters outside the court and asked South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha to launch a full inquiry into the reason why the prosecutors lost the case of Dewani and other recent shooting cases as well.

The Dewani trial was opened last October and is said to be another sensational case that involves the shooting of a young woman. The trial is focused on the post-apartheid justice system of South Africa that includes a high crime rate and police forensic investigations. 

TagsSouth Africa, honeymoon murder, Anni Dewani, Shrien Dewani, Judge, acquits, not guilty