PRETORIA – A convicted fraudster wanted by the Portuguese Government was arrested in Umhlanga Rocks, north of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal this morning.

Mr Joao Manuel de Oliveira Rendeiro is a Portuguese national who absconded from Portugal after being convicted on a multi-million dollar fraud case and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment before he escaped.

On 24th November 2021, The Head of the Judicial Police of Portugal, Luis Neves brought this matter to the attention of National Commissioner of the SAPS, General Khehla John Sitole during a bilateral meeting at the 89th Interpol General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey.

General Sitole committed to tracking and tracing the fugitive after it emerged that he may be hiding in South Africa.

Members from the Interpol NCB in Pretoria, acting on an Interpol Red Notice, traced the fugitive to a location in Umhlanga Rocks where he was arrested at 7am this morning.

The fugitive will appear for the first time in the Durban Magistrates Court on Monday, 13 December 2021 as part of his extradition process.

The Portuguese authority welcomed the news of de Oliveira Rendeiro’s arrest and sent words of gratitude and praise to the National Commissioner and the SAPS team for speedily arresting him.

Source: South African Police Service