Police on Monday said that Finnish fugitive Sven Peter Fryckman, suspected of running guns to Iraq, was extradited on December 12 on charges of fraud.
The statement follows media reports that Western Cape police were investigating large-scale gun-running to Iraq after detectives discovered a multi-million dollar ”shopping list” for hi-tech military equipment in the Fresnaye home of Fryckman.
The reports said the probe had been revealed by a Cape Argus investigation which also established police had not at first reported the find to national police authorities.
When detectives arrested convicted fraudster Fryckman, sought by the Finnish authorities to serve his jail term, they found documents showing communications between him and an Iraqi.
Speaking on Monday night, Senior Superintendent Martin Aylward said: ”The matter of Sven Peter Fryckman’s deportation was finalised after a request by the Finnish government to extradite him. We traced Fryckman in October 2002.
”Any other matter brought to our attention during this process will be looked into at national level. We have only recently come into possession of certain documentation. We will still study the documentation before we can comment.”
According to media reports, Fryckman had been involved in a huge share deal scam and generated a large profit which he shifted rapidly out of the reach of the tax authorities.
Fryckman fled Finland and hid in South Africa and Zimbabwe. But when he sneaked back into his home country in 2001 for his father’s funeral, he was again arrested.
Earlier Fryckman had been sentenced to 30 months in prison for fraud committed in 1994, but the Finnish Supreme Court suspended the sentence pending an appeal.
Fryckman jumped bail and again fled to Cape Town, where he lived a life of luxury until South African police caught him out gambling at the GrandWest Casino last November. – Sapa