Matthias Schmelz, a German businessman known as the “Rei dos Aspiradores” (King of vacuum cleaners) has been declared contumacious (meaning wilfully disobedient; in this case, ‘on the run from justice’).
He faces trial in this country for the prostitution of minors – but, in spite of European and international arrest warrants issued in January 2023, authorities have been unable to locate him.
The international arrest warrants have since lapsed, and had to be renewed; the trial set for Schmelz has been (temporarily) abandoned, and the declaration of ‘contumacy’ is a new instrument designed, if Schmelz is ever located, to speed up his delivery to Portugal to face 26 criminal charges, relating to young girls, and alleged orgies.
This case dates back to 2018/ 2019, and was, at the time, splashed over tabloid pages. According to reports, Schmelz left Portugal in an Uber in 2019, when he understood the implications of the public prosecutor’s investigations, and then travelled to South Africa and finally to Dubai. Books he has written on how to get ahead in life are still available on the Wook platform.
