The man is suspected of receiving stolen goods from Anna Britta Troelsgaard Nielsen, a former employee of the Danish National Board of Social Services (Socialstryelsen), who had allegedly transferred 111 mln kroner ($17.2 mln) in public funds to her accounts.
The man was arrested at Johannesburg’s O. R. Tambo International Airport while trying to leave the country, TheLocal.dk news portal reported.
“The man at the airport was arrested because we believe he had a leading role in using the money that went missing from Socialstryelsen. That is why he is being charged with receiving stolen goods, which could result in up to eight years in prison,” Denmark’s national fraud squad (Bagmandspolitiet) member Thomas Anderskov Riis said in a press release.
The man allegedly received 3.6 mln kroner (almost $550,000) and two plots of valuable land from Nielsen. The authorities didn’t announce his name or his ties to the affair, as regulations prevent the suspect’s identity from being published. The outlet also reported that two women, whose identities have not been revealed, were also suspected of receiving stolen property from Nielsen.
The official has been working in the Danish social services for over 40 years while having access to public funds earmarked for vulnerable citizens. Earlier in October, she disappeared, while authorities issued an international warrant for her arrest.