The South African Police Service successfully executed an extradition of two German nationals from the Cape Town International Airport at 04h00 this Friday morning. The Fugitive Extradition Unit of Interpol NCB Pretoria within the South African Police Service conducted the handing over of the two fugitives to the German police authorities sent by the Federal Republic of Germany at the Cape Town International Airport.
Mr Michael Helmuth Gunter Schreiber born on 21 March 1947 (63 years) (Interpol CAS 72/06/03) has been in South Africa for quite some time and has not been implicated in any crime whatsoever. Nonetheless, through intelligence driven operations he got arrested in Somerset West, Cape Town. Schreiber did not oppose the extradition and was found extraditable in the Somerset West Magistrates’ Court. He was later afforded bail due to family circumstances and remains a wanted suspect in Berlin, Germany to serve the remaining prison sentence of 1 035 days out of an original sentence of seven years.
Interpol CAS 99/01/08 depicts that the second suspect, Mrs Silvia Hirthammer was born on 7 July 1976 and has been in South Africa for the past three years with her husband, namely Mr Sven Hirthammer. She is wanted in Munich, Germany. It is alleged that Sven Hirthammer is wanted in approximately 14 fraud cases, emanating from Somerset West to Knysna and Silvia was an accomplice in some of the cases. They have been moving from suburb to suburb within the Cape area, defrauding banks and real estate agencies. Silvia Hirthammer pleaded guilty and received a suspended sentence prior to her being found extraditable to Germany in the Knysna Magistrates' Court.
However, Sven Hirthammer has received a five year sentence, whereby he has to serve a year and of which four years were suspended. He is also wanted in Germany to face a sentence and prosecution on fraud cases. He was subsequently found extraditable in the Knysna Magistrates' Court. The order for his surrender is still being awaited from the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development. In terms of the Extradition Act 67 of 1962, Mr Hirthammer will only be surrendered once he has completed his local sentence. He is currently in custody at the Knysna Prison.
Both fugitives were previously convicted on fraud offences in Germany. The two fugitives were escorted to the Cape Town International Airport by the SAPS’ Interpol Fugitive Unit following the police’s crime intelligence driven operation that led to the location of these suspects. The alleged extraditable fugitives are not related in any manner.
The orders for their surrender in terms of Section 11(a) of the Extradition Act 67 of 1962, has been received from the South African Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development through diplomatic facilitation processes, which gave police powers to arrest the sought fugitives for fraud cases committed in their native land.
These extradition successes are clear indications of a sound partnership that the South African Police Service has with the police in different countries on trans-international crime-related matters.
Enquiries:
Colonel Tummi Shai
Tel: 012 400 6576/79/6629
Cell: 082 826 6181
Source: South African Police Service
