Sisters accused of killing their wealthy Kenyan expat father for his £7million fortune face new agony as case could be reopened after tests found traces of poison in his body
The case of a British property magnate found dead at home in Kenya amid claims of poisoning could be dramatically reopened after an inquest ruling was declared ‘erratic’.
It was initially believed that Harry Roy Veevers’ death in 2013 was the result of a heart attack.
But after his body was exhumed and subsequent tests showed traces of a pesticide, his wife Azra Parvin Din, 75, and daughters Helen, 36, and Alexandra, 34, from Manchester, were accused by Kenyan authorities of killing him for his £7 million. fortune.
The story of feuds and murder accusations among wealthy Kenyan expats has inevitably drawn comparisons to the infamous 1941 White Mischief case, dramatized in a novel and Hollywood film starring Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance.
For years the three women lived with the terrifying prospect of a prison sentence, but in January an inquest concluded that Mr Veevers’ death was not suspicious after all.
Helen Veevers (right), 36, and her sister Alexandra, 34, pictured in January earlier this year
British real estate magnate Harry Roy Veevers’ death was initially believed to have been a heart attack, but it is now believed that his wife and daughters may have poisoned him.
Mr Veever pictured with his wife Azra Parvin Din, 75. She is now accused by Kenyan authorities of trying to balance his fortune
Alexandra (left) and Helen (right) leaving Mombasa court in 2018 during a trial to decide whether their father’s death was suspicious
Roy Veevers pictured with his two daughters when they were much younger
However, the finding was disputed by lawyers for Richard and Phillip, Veevers’ sons from his first marriage – and now a court in Kenya has ruled in their favor.
It means the brothers can submit written submissions that Richard hopes will restart a criminal investigation. “Hopefully it will lead to some form of justice,” Richard, 47, told The Mail on Sunday.
“Crimes have been committed that require an investigation.”
The January verdict surprised the legal teams of both sides: they expected a routine hearing. But the magistrate began reading from a sheet of paper containing his full assessment of the case, and ruled that the case was closed.
Alexandra Veevers gestures during her testimony during the inquest into her father’s death in 2018
Helen Veevers gestures during her testimony during the inquest into her father’s death in 2018
Now the High Court in Mombasa has ruled that the magistrate’s ruling was irregular because he did not allow lawyers to submit some written submissions.
The feud erupted in court in 2016 when the siblings fought over responsibility for their father’s death. Richard and Phillip, 45, claimed Azra, Helen and Alexandra killed Mr Veevers after he said he was leaving Azra for another woman.
The women have always denied the allegations, claiming that the brothers had made up the story to deny them the right to an inheritance.
When Mr. Veevers died, his body was buried without an autopsy. At the inquest in 2016, a pathologist said he had discovered cyhalothrin, a drug commonly used to kill mosquitoes. But in 2018, a forensic scientist said he could find no trace of it.
