Professor Cyril Karabus, the elderly doctor who had been detained in the United Arab Emirates since August, has just arrived in South Africa.

His family and lawyer, Michael Bagraim, met him the airport in Cape Town.

Prof Karabus had been waiting for his passport to be returned by prosecutors since he was found not guilty of manslaughter in March.

Prof Karabus was convicted in absentia of manslaughter by a UAE court more than 10 years ago. The prosecution claimed that in 2002 the doctor, who had previously worked in the UAE, had mistreated a terminally ill Yemeni girl who had leukaemia.

Unaware of his conviction, Prof Karabus stopped off in Dubai on August 18 last year as he returned to South Africa from his son’s wedding in Toronto.

The 78-year-old doctor was detained in Abu Dhabi for nine months.

He fell ill during his imprisonment but is understood to have recovered.

Mr Bagraim said: "I really believe that they had the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time."