A 55-year-old man, who was wanted in Spain, was arrested in Olhão, Algarve, on December 4, to serve an eight-year prison sentence for crimes of embezzlement and forgery, as revealed by the Polícia Judiciária (PJ) in a statement issued Thursday.
The detainee was subject to a European arrest warrant issued by Spanish judicial authorities, as well as an international arrest warrant with an Interpol red notice.
The man had been on the run since late 2023, following a decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which identified him as a “central figure” in a financial fraud scheme known as the “Niemeyer case” in the neighboring country.
The detainee, a foreign national, is a former director-general of the Óscar Niemeyer International Cultural Center in Avilés, Spain, and was convicted of several crimes related to the mismanagement of that institution.
According to the PJ, the Spanish court found that between 2006 and 2011, the individual diverted funds from the institution for personal benefit, as well as for family and friends, using, among other means, the issuance and use of false documents to provide an appearance of legality.
After being caught in Olhão, the man appeared before the Évora Court of Appeal and is currently awaiting the extradition process to Spain.
