Wealthy British Hotelier Could Face Up to 20 Years in African Prison

A wealthy British hotelier and his wife are being held in a “hell hole” prison after being charged with money laundering by cops on the paradise island of Zanzibar.

Simon Wood, 51, was jailed on the island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of East Africa after he was arrested with wife Francesca Scalfari, 45, just over two weeks ago.

His family said police shaved his head when he was taken into custody and then placed him in a cell with 200 other dangerous inmates, including murderers.

They also said the pair had been denied basic needs – including access to water – and relatives hadn’t been allowed into the jail to see them on several occasions.

Those close to the couple claim their arrest is linked to lawsuits brought against them by ex-investors in their hotel, The Sharazad Boutique, dating back to 2017.

But as these matters were later settled in favor of Wood and Scalfari, they’re now “at a loss” to explain why new criminal charges arose earlier this month.

Under local laws, prisoners can be kept in jail for eight months without trial, and Wood’s mother, Christine Wood, from Lancashire, England, said she’s “concerned” for his welfare.

“I am very concerned for my son Simon and his Italian wife Francesca, who are starting their third week of imprisonment in Zanzibar,” she said.

“Now they have been accused of money laundering but are at a loss to know why.

“For them, paradise has quickly turned to hell and until the court declares them ‘not guilty’ they remain in jail.”

Scalfari’s uncle, Jim Betteridge, 62, a British ex-pat living in Tuscany, Italy, added that Wood and Scalfari are being kept in “primitive” conditions.

“A hell hole would be a fairly accurate description,” he said.

“There’s no food or water provided. They have to buy their water – and any food that’s brought in is poked around and probed by the guards.

“It’s very hot in there, full of mosquitoes and it’s not somewhere where you’d want to see your worst enemy, frankly. To call it primitive would be complimentary.”

Betteridge explained that Wood, originally from Lancashire, had arrived on the beautiful island 20 years ago, where…