The Western Cape High Court is on Wednesday expected to deliver judgement in the bail appeal of Guatemalan murder accused Diego Novella.
The Cape Town Regional Court denied him bail in May.
Magistrate Grant Engel deemed him a flight risk and said he had made his decision based on a number of factors. These included that Dougherty had never had any formal employment, has no immediate family other than siblings, had travelled extensively and had the financial means to hide anywhere. He found that Novella could also easily forfeit his bail.
Engel also said there was no extradition treaty between South Africa and Guatemala and pointed out that the State had a very strong circumstantial case against Novella.
The accused is from a wealthy and prominent family in Guatemala which runs a successful cement business.
He faces a charge of murder for allegedly killing his American marketing executive girlfriend Gabriela Kabrins Alban on July 29 last year at a top boutique hotel in Camps Bay where the two were staying.
Defence lawyer William Booth has proposed strict bail conditions, including reporting daily to a police station, remaining under house arrest, electronic monitoring by correctional services, and being placed under supervision by a private security company.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
