Durban: A week after fugitive Joao Manuel de Oliveira Rendeiro died, the matter has been struck of the court roll.
Rendeiro, 69, a Portuguese national, was arrested in South Africa in December.
Police spokesperson Vish Naidoo said police arrested him in uMhlanga for allegedly fleeing from his conviction and prison sentence for fraud charges involving about R740 million.
“Mr Joao Manuel de Oliveira Rendeiro is a Portuguese national who absconded from Portugal after being convicted in a multi-million dollar fraud case and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment before he escaped.”
Natasha Kara, spokesperson for the NPA, said the pre-trial conference for the extradition hearing was set to take place today.“
“However, notification of his attorney's wishes to withdraw legal services resulted in the NPA requesting Rendeiro to appear in court on 13 May 2022.
“This was to resolve the issue of legal representation before the pre-trial conference. Before last week's proceedings, the State was informed that Rendeiro had passed away, and the matter was adjourned for confirmation.
“Today, the NPA provided the court with certification, confirming Rendeiro's demise, and consequently, the extradition proceedings have stopped, and the matter has been struck off the court roll.”
IOL