The autopsy of former Portuguese banker João Rendeiro will be performed on Tuesday, a source at the morgue in Pinetown, a suburb of Durban, said today..

"We have our reasons" for scheduling it for Tuesday, he told Lusa.

Asked whether this is related to the investigation into the death at the Westville prison, the same source kept the answer, citing the course of the investigation, adding only: "we have to be objective" in the autopsy work.

Another source from the forensic services explained to Lusa that the diligence could even be done today, but it was necessary to reconcile the schedule with that of a coroner considered important to follow the case.

The expert, who usually follows autopsies in Pinetown, "can only be present on Tuesday," he noted.

The care is related to the ongoing investigation, he added.

The Pinetown morgue usually receives the bodies of deceased persons from the Westville prison, where Rendeiro was held, because it is the closest one, about 10 kilometers from the prison.

A source at the morgue also said that it is expected that the autopsy in a case like Rendeiro's could take about two hours, determining what caused the death, "excluding" other suspicions that the police have.

The results will then be attached to the police file, at a date to be designated, he added.

The body of the former banker was recognized on Friday by the honorary consul of Portugal in Durban, Elias de Sousa, who returned on Saturday to the morgue to deal with documentation related to the case.

John Rendeiro, 69, was found dead Thursday at the Westville prison, according to a statement from the Department of Correctional Services, which ruled out third-party involvement.

"He was in a single cell when he hung himself. It was after he was locked up, so no one could be involved or have access to him," Singabakho Nxumalo, a spokesman for the South African prison service, explained to Lusa.

For its part, the South African Public Prosecutor's Office announced that it will hold the preparatory session of the extradition trial of João Rendeiro, scheduled for Friday 20th, to present the death certificate of the former banker and close the steps of the extradition process.

The former president of BPP had been detained in South Africa since December 11, 2021, after three months of evading Portuguese justice to avoid serving time in Portugal.

João Rendeiro was convicted in three separate cases related to the collapse of BPP, with the court finding that it was proven that he took 13.61 million euros from the bank.

The collapse of BPP in 2010 damaged thousands of customers and caused losses of hundreds of millions of euros to the state.