By Alex Eliseev
When millionaire Radovan Krejcir slipped out the back door of his luxury villa near Prague in the Czech Republic, and fled to the Seychelles, a police chief was fired for letting the wanted man escape.
Over the next two years, Czech authorities began losing hope of getting their suspect back as the 38-year-old Krejcir and his family secured new citizenship and settled down in the island paradise.
But in a surprise twist the alleged criminal boss - wanted for fraud and planning a murder - was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport on Saturday.
Krejcir, who appeared at the Kempton Park magistrate's court on Monday, had entered the country on a fake passport, national police spokesperson Director Sally de Beer said.
He travelled under the name Egbert Jules Savy and was flying from Madagascar, members of the Crime Intelligence Unit reported.
He was nabbed at 5.15pm as he got off the plane.
Krejcir has been on the run since 2005 and has reportedly made shocking claims of giving bribes to his country's government officials.
From his hideout in the Seychelles, Krejcir said a book he was writing would prove to be "the next Watergate scandal" for the Czech government.
He has maintained his innocence and benefited from the fact that no extradition agreement exists between the Czech Republic and the Seychelles.
"It is believed he intended to settle in South Africa," De Beer said on Monday night.
"He is wanted by the Czech Republic on charges of fraud involving hundreds of millions of euros, as well as for conspiracy to commit murder."
Krejcir is suspected of orchestrating a complex fraud scheme in 2004 and 2005.
During his court appearance on Monday, Krejcir's identity was confirmed and his case postponed to May 2. He will remain in custody until then.
De Beer said a warrant of arrest would now have to be sent from the Czech Republic, after which the extradition process would start.
Interpol had issued a red notice - an international warrant of arrest "with a view to extradition" - for Krejcir, but it seems unlikely that he will be boarding a plane soon.
Extraditions out of South Africa have been put on hold pending the outcome of an alleged stem cell fraud couple's challenge to the extradition agreement between South Africa and the US.
If accused stem cell fraudsters Stephen van Rooyen and Laura Brown succeed in their Pretoria High Court bid, which is due to continue on Thursday, every single extradition treaty concluded by South Africa since 1996 would be rendered invalid.
- Additional reporting by Karyn Maughan