The 42-year-old Sri Lankan national is accused of murdering 23-year-old Kavitha Kandiah on December 13, 2000, in the city of Basel. He was arrested under a Swiss warrant and granted interim name suppression by a New Zealand court pending an appearance next week.
Police said the man used false identification and travel documents to gain access to New Zealand two months after the woman was killed. He was granted New Zealand citizenship in 2004 and had been a living in Auckland and running a small business.
Authorities are now attempting to rescind the man's New Zealand citizenship. They may then seek to deport him.
The case raises questions about how the man was able to become a citizen in New Zealand if he was using fake documents.
More From This Section
Michael Mead, a spokesman for the Department of Internal Affairs, said its processes have improved significantly in the 10 years since the man gained citizenship.
He said fraud is very low and has been declining.
"Unfortunately no system can ever be free from fraud but thankfully the vast majority of citizenship applications are genuine and honest," the department said in a statement. "We take breaches very seriously and will not hesitate to act when we uncover incidents of fraud or dishonesty."
Mead said he couldn't comment on the Swiss case other than to say the department had issued the man a letter advising him his citizenship may be rescinded.