THE TWO men accused of killing Michaela McAreavey will have murder charges formally read to them tomorrow at a court in Mauritius.
Hotel workers Avinash Treebhowon (29) and Sandip Mooneea (41) are due to appear before a judge at the Supreme Court one day after the first anniversary of the Co Tyrone teacher’s death.
The pair deny strangling Mrs McAreavey (27) while she was honeymooning in Mauritius with her husband, Co Down GAA player John McAreavey.
Defence lawyer Sanjeev Teeluckdharry, who represents Mr Treebhowon, said yesterday the two Mauritian room cleaners would plead not guilty during the hearing in the capital Port Louis.
He said: “The matter has been referred to the Supreme Court at 10am on Wednesday where the two defendants will have the charges read to them and be asked to enter a plea.
“My client and his co-accused vigorously deny any involvement in this tragedy and will plead not guilty. The court will then set a date on which a trial can begin.”
The trial of the two suspects comes after Mauritian state prosecutors announced in December they believed there was sufficient evidence to mount a formal case against the hotel workers.
The cleaners were arrested last January, a day after Mrs McAreavey, from Ballygawley in Co Tyrone, was found dead in her hotel room.
The newlyweds were just a few days into their honeymoon when the former Rose of Tralee contestant was found strangled in a half-filled bathtub. Mr McAreavey later told how his bride was attacked after she left him to pick up some biscuits from their bedroom for an afternoon snack.
Local detectives later claimed that Mr Treebhowon had confessed under questioning that he and Mr Mooneea strangled her by accident after she entered the room and caught them stealing from her purse. However, the devout Hindu later told a court he confessed only after he was violently tortured by officers.
Both men have since denied any involvement in the crime.
They appeared in court last June for a preliminary enquiry in which the evidence against them was heard and assessed by a magistrate. Mauritian prosecutors then took several months to consider the matter before confirming they would bring charges against them.
Delays in the island’s legal system means the case might not reach trial until the end of this year or even early 2013.
Mr Teeluckdharry said yesterday the suspects were desperate for the trial to start quickly so they could prove their innocence.