South African couple Peet and Mel Viljoen face arrest should they return to the United States after American authorities issued bench warrants for their arrest following their failure to appear in court.
A bench warrant is issued directly by a judge and authorises law enforcement officials to arrest an individual who does not comply with a court order, most commonly by failing to attend scheduled court proceedings.
The warrants stem from a shoplifting case in Florida, where the couple was previously arrested by US authorities.
Following their arrest, Peet and Mel Viljoen were deported and allowed to return to South Africa after their release.
According to reports, their failure to appear before the court resulted in the issuance of the bench warrants, effectively placing the matter on hold unless they re-enter the United States.
Should the couple return to US territory, law enforcement authorities would be authorised to arrest them based on the outstanding warrants.
The warrants remain active and are expected to remain in place unless the matter is resolved through the relevant legal processes in the United States.