Johannesburg - "I love you", whispered a US woman facing extradition to her South African husband as she was led into the police cells in the Brakpan Magistrate's Court on Friday.
Despite facing extradition to her home country, Nichole Michelle King's eyes glistened when they met her partner, who was seated in the front row of the public benches.
The 44-year-old tried to prolong the encounter with him for as long as she could, but was eventually told by a police officer to continue walking down to the cells.
As she stood in the dock for the brief appearance, King spoke confidently and with a slight American accent. She spoke directly to the magistrate and acknowledged that she understood court procedures as the US Embassy had been in contact with her.
She did not make any submissions to the court, besides questioning if she would remain in Johannesburg Prison, where she is being detained.
The case against her was then postponed to September 19 to allow the State to get the formal extradition documents from the US.
King, who was on America's most wanted list for the past seven years, was arrested at her Brakpan home last week by members of the Fugitive and Extradition Unit of Interpol on the instruction of US authorities.
She was found guilty of fraud and embezzlement but before being sentenced in 2009 she skipped the country and found a hiding place in South Africa.
Hawks spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshiunda said King used the same name and entered the country legally with a valid passport, which The Star has seen copies of.
While in the country, she worked as a part-time auditor for Coastal Hire, an equipment hire franchise. She also lived in Kempton Park and eventually moved to Brakpan, where she was taken into custody.
Netshiunda said King was located with the help of American authorities and was adamant that she must be extradited back to Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Illinois to be sentenced for defrauding and embezzling her employer.
He said it was for this reason that the case was postponed as all the relevant documents were needed so that extradition procedures could commence.
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The Star