A woman who worked for Denmark's social security agency has been arrested in South Africa. She is accused of defrauding the service of 15m euro (R245m), prosecutors said Monday.

The woman, who was employed by the agency for 40 years, is suspected of stealing funds between 2002 and 2018 that were destined for projects to help disadvantaged people.

"The suspect has been arrested," prosecutor Thomas Anderskov Riis of Denmark's Serious Economic and International Crime unit said in a statement.