Five doubts about the death of João Rendeiro
Three months on the run from the authorities, a preventive detention more than ten thousand kilometers from Portugal and the necessary resistance to extradition – which could make life easier in a Portuguese prison. João Rendeiro’s life is marked by mysteries and unexplained incidents. Like your own death
1. Why did you not receive extradition?
people many people of the reason that led to many things to approach an African environment known to be very tense, who questioned having to stay away from a known African environment. We may never have a clear answer to this question.
“I do not accept returning to Portugal. I don’t see any scenario where this could happen ”, said the former banker in statements to CNN Portugal, in what was his last interview. Rendeiro was always against all parts of the State and told him that they were victims of persecution by the State.
This same interview compares the amount of crimes he was accused of with the leaders of which Ricardo Salgado, formerly of Banco Espírito Santo, was accused. “He IS a person who is protected by the system”, said Rendeiro. Asked if he would ever admit to returning to Portugal, the possible ex-banker said that the “only possible scenario would be no convictions” and that, in that case, he would only return if the President of the Republic granted him a pardon.
When asked if he was willing to reveal a lifetime of records – personal and family – and never come back, he was unequivocal. “This is just part of the great burden that I leave behind and which is a very painful burden, of course, and therefore I must say, in all honesty, that this path I have taken I do not recommend to anyone.”
2. How does someone manage to commit suicide in a high security prison?
For those who are familiar with Prison in South Africa, it will be one of the most context-solving issues. “The big problem is going to be: why is this what happened? In the prison, there are guards who walk around the cells. And it must be an act that needs to have happened, it’s not something that happened quickly. How is that not seen?” , the South African lawyer Emile Myburgh, speaking to CNN Portugal.
The lawyer says the investigation cannot rule out the possibility that the former Banco Privado Português may have received help from someone inside the prison. “There must be a deep investigation and Portugal must have that”, he adds.
The process, admits Myburgh, can be lengthy, as “everything that involves a department of the South African Ministry is time consuming”, but especially in a case involving a death “under dubious conditions”. This situation of circumstances could lead to an investigation “over several weeks”.
“The current final version is the one that had suicide. But it is known that he may have contact with other prisoners and that as interpersonal relationships in prison are, we cannot avoid the possibility that an incident has occurred.”
3. Death in a different cell
The former banker was escaped on December 11 of last year in South Africa, after having fled Portugal to not serve his sentence at the BPP, he ended up being imprisoned for six months in the 80-meter Wesville prison registered by about 50 inmates. , for opposing the extradition request.
However, João Rendeiro’s lawyer stated, in statements to the newspaper Correio da Manhã, that his client would have been transferred to another cell where “he was alone or with very few people”, to qualify a transfer since he was going to be presented to court this Friday.
“I was asked to identify the body. I’m waiting for the investigator’s call to go. Then I’ll deal with the translation procedures,” said June Marks, who says that the news of the 69-year-old ex-banker’s death “was a big shock” and that “no one was waiting.”
Representative of the ex-banker to investigate the search still have low probabilities in investigations carried out for the causes of death “I doubt they will discover much more in the investigation.”
4. Millions off-shore and no money for the lawyer
No case in which João Ren was convicted was identified by the Public Prosecutor’s Office two offshore companies that had as beneficiaries his ex-wife, Maria de Jesus Rendeiro, where several million euros took place. According to data from Tributários on the assets of the former directors of BPP, Oltar Investments Ltd., a company that had Rendeiro as the last one, handled 21.88 million euros.
However, the lack of money appears to have been the cause that led South African lawyer June Marks to choose not to continue defending the former leader of the BPP in the extradition process for non-payment.
Having everything indicated, Rendeiro will have access to its financial resources and, with that, will be able to pay the lawyer’s fees. This will not accept the defense this Friday would- named an unofficial.
On whether the absence led to the end of the professional relationship between the two, mark the money solution and comment. “This will remain private between me and Mr. Tenant. The decision was mine and it is private”, said the South African lawyer, continuing: “I was the one who requested to appear in court. He died before I could withdraw [o patrocínio]”. The lawyer added, however, that the last time she was with Ren in prison was in April.
5. “I’ve never been this strong mentally”
When they used the expression “or death”, in their last interview, carried out by CNN Portugal on November 2, no one expected João Rendeiro to take the meaning of this phrase to its limit.
When he was arrested by the authorities, he starred in several moments in which extra moments were presented to avoid the prison process in Portugal that had been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Upon leaving the courthouse, he even confidently said: “I will not return to Portugal”. Shortly after, according to the freedom of the ward, but he does not want to be isolated, but he does not want to be isolated.
Even so, nothing led to believe that João Rendeiro ended up taking his own life shortly after being described by June Marcas as being psychologically strong and prepared to defend before a judge.