Brazilian police officer, wife detained as suspects in Greek ambassador's death

By Daniel Uria 

The wife of Greece's ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis (R) was detained by police along with a Brazilian police officer and a third man believed to be the officer's cousin as suspects after the ambassador's body was found in a burnt-out car beneath an overpass. Police said they will recommend charges of homicide against Kyriakos' wife, Francoise Oliveira, the policeman, Sergio Gomes Moreira, and his cousin Eduardo Melo after the three confessed to conspiring to murder the ambassador in what police are treating as a "crime of passion."File Photo by Beto Barata/Presidency of Brazil/European Pressphoto Agency 

The wife of a slain Greek ambassador was detained along with two other men as part of an investigation into her husband's murder.

Brazilian authorities have detained the wife of 59-year-old Greek ambassador Kyriakos Amiridis along with a police officer and a man believed to be the officer's cousin under the belief they are suspects in his presumed murder, the Guardian reported.

Police found a body they determined to be Amiridis inside a burnt-out car underneath an overpass in the city of Nova Iguacu, near Rio de Janeiro, on Thursday after his wife reported he had been missing since Dec. 26.

Investigators determined he was killed in his home, where a blood-stained sofa was found, and his body was later moved in the car which was found burnt under the overpass.

Police said the ambassador's wife, Francoise Oliveira, 40, admitted to being aware of the murder carried out by her lover, Brazilian Police Officer Sergio Gomes Moreira. His cousin, Eduardo Melo, was paid to act as a lookout and move the body, according to the BBC.

"Francoise initially denied the facts. She said she had nothing to do with that. We managed to make her see that she had no alternative and that there was no point in continuing to deny it," Investigator Evaristo Pontes Magalhaes said. "She fell into contradictions, burst into tears and began to say that the police officer [Sergio Moreira] had carried out her husband's murder."

Police said the 29-year-old Moreira confessed to strangling Amiridis to death in what authorities are considering "a crime of passion."

Magalhaes said Moreira claimed he had a fight with Amiridis after confronting him about claims of violence against his wife and said he acted in self defense, but police dismissed his claims.

"We're trying to determine if Francoise wanted to kill the ambassador to take control of his assets and live with the police officer," Magalhaes said, according to the New York Times.

Melo provided police with details of the murder plot involving both Oliveira and Moreira and admitted to moving the ambassador's body, for which paid about 80,000 reais ($25,000 USD).

Oliveira, Moreira and Melo will be detained for 30 days on a judicial order and police will recommend charges of homicide against all three, Rio homicide division spokesman Adilson Palacio said.