Greek ambassador's wife arrested for ordering murder

Greek ambassador to Brazil Kyriakos Amiridis' wife, Francoise Amiridis, was arrested for ordering the envoy's death, Brazilian police has said.

Francoise had the help of local policeman Sergio Gomes Moreira Filho, her lover, and his cousin Eduardo de Melo, Xinhua news agency quoted police as saying on Friday.

They confessed to the murder and were arrested as well.

Investigators said Melo confessed that the ambassador's wife had offered 80,000 reais ($24,400) for his help in the crime.

However, Filho denied Francoise's participation in the crime. Francoise also denied her participation in the murder, but police confirmed her involvement.

The ambassador was last seen alive on Monday, but his wife only reported his disappearance on Wednesday. On Thursday, Amiridis' rented car was found burnt, with a corpse inside.

Police here on Friday said the burnt body was of Amiridis.

It believed Amiridis was killed inside his house in Nova Iguacu here. Investigators reportedly found blood stains on a sofa at the house.

Filho said he fought with the ambassador and killed him with Amiridis' gun.

According to neighbours, they did not hear any shots and police are investigating whether Amiridis was shot to death or stabbed.

Filho used Amiridis' rented car to take the body from the house and dispose off it.

Security cameras confirmed that both Filho and Melo were in the ambassador's house on Monday night and in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Brazilian government on Friday sent a message of condolences to Greece over the murder of the ambassador.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry published a message regretting the ambassador's death and offering condolences to his friends and family, as well as to the people and the government of Greece.

"Amiridis was serving in Brazil for the second time. At the helm of the Greek embassy to Brazil, he had been carrying out an intense work to deepen the relations between the two countries," it said.

Brazilian President Michel Temer also sent personal letters to Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, assuring that the country's authorities were conducting an investigation into the murder and that the government was willing to fully cooperate with Greece.

--IANS

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