The preliminary results of the autopsy performed in Portugal on João Rendeiro's body confirm that there is no evidence of foul play in the death of the former banker, reports RTP, citing an investigation source.

The autopsy took place on Saturday, following a request from his family, who suspected foul play and not suicide in the death of the former banker while he was being held in Verulam prison in South Africa.

According to Notícias ao Minuto, João Rendeiro's family asked the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (INMLCF) on Wednesday to perform an autopsy on the body of the former banker, who arrived in Lisbon on Friday morning from South Africa.

At the time, in statements to Lusa, Inês Montalvo justified the need for an autopsy because she considered that there were "several indications that this was a crime.

The removal of the body from the South African state morgue in Pinetown, suburbs of Durban, where it remained for more than two weeks, occurred on the afternoon of May 27 and the transfer to Johannesburg took place the following day, conducted by the Portuguese authorities in South Africa.

João Rendeiro, 69, was found dead on May 12 and was due in court the next morning.

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