Durban - Businessman Rajivee Soni denied in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Wednesday that he had offered R250 000 for his wife’s ex-lover, Dr Bhavish Sewram, to be killed.
His attorney, Naren Sangham, questioned State witness Sugen Naidoo on his statement made to police. In it, the former policeman said that in January 2013, four months before Sewram was gunned down, he met Soni and his wife at the gym.
Soni is standing trial for the murder of the doctor - whom he allegedly had killed for having an affair with his wife - and a litany of other offences, including defeating the ends of justice and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.
Naidoo said in the statement, read out by Sangham, that Soni introduced him to his wife at the gym. He later told Naidoo that he would not be able to take his wife back if “this man (the doctor) was still alive.”
That evening, said Naidoo, Soni visited him at home and told him the offer still stood and that he was tired of hurting and framing the doctor and wanted him dead.
Naidoo previously told the court that he and Soni had embarked on various plans to humiliate, embarrass and injure the doctor. The aim was to drive him out of town.
Naidoo’s statement said the offer was R250 000 and he could “call” any price he wanted.
A few days later Naidoo contacted Soni and lied that there was a person in Durban willing to carry out the task. Before the call ended, Soni said he was not prepared to invest more money and that Naidoo must only call him after the job was done. He could also have his double cab.
Naidoo had to inform Soni of the killing before it happened, to prevent “other people from coming to claim money after the job”.
To Naidoo, this meant Soni had engaged others, offering the same reward or a similar one.
Sangham said this part and the “better part” of the statement were a fabrication.
Sangham said that in Naidoo’s evidence, he did not say Soni wanted the doctor killed.
“But in the statement you talk about R250 000 and a van. No such offer was made to you… My learned friend (the prosecutor Johan du Toit) is experienced enough to have led you on that. This was just about creating dates and trying to get closer to May 2, 2013.”
Du Toit muttered under his breath: “Absolute nonsense.”
Naidoo maintained his statement was correct.
The Mercury