Rajivee Soni sentenced to 30 years for ‘best friend’s’ murder

Pietermaritzburg businessman Rajivee Soni has been sentenced to 30 years in prison at the the Pietermaritzburg High Court today.

He was earlier found guilty on six charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder after he was arrested for the murder of Pietermaritzburg doctor Bhavish Sewram, a father of two.

Soni was sentenced to an effective 30 years in prison of which 25 years was specifically for the murder of doctor Sewram in May 2013.

Sewram was killed outside his surgery in Chota Motala, Raisethorpe in May 2013.

In March 2015 police officer and state witness Sugen Naidoo testified that Soni had offered him R 250 000 to “put the doctor away.” Naidoo said Soni was tired of framing the doctor and wanted him dead.

“Soni said that he had to step up his plans because the doctor wasn’t getting the message that he should f**k off from KZN,” defence advocate Naren Sangham read from Naidoo’s statement.

Naidoo’s statement went on to read that Soni allegedly offered to give Naidoo his white double-cab bakkie if he completed the “task”.

“Soni said that I must call him the day before the job was supposed to be done so he would know that it was me who did the job. This gave me the impression that he spoke to other people to carry out the task. He also said that if I told him the day before, this would give him time to secure an alibi,” testified Naidoo.

(Compiled by Gopolang Chawane)

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