MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

German consul in Rio charged with husband's murder

Hahn has denied the accusations against him

Germany's Consul in Rio de Janeiro Uwe Herbert Hahn has been formally indicted Monday for the August 5 murder of his husband, the Belgian national Walter Henri Maximilien Biot, in the couple's apartment.

Hahn, 60, denies the accusations and insists Biot went ill and hit his head when he fell to the floor. The consul spent most of August in pre-trial detention but was released on the 26th.

The Office of the Prosecutor claims that Hahn caused bodily injuries to Biot that led to his death, according to post-mortem reports.

“The offense was committed for a vile motive, the abject feeling of possession that the accused nurtured for the victim, subjugating him financially and psychologically, and not admitting that the offended party tried to establish some level of independence from the accused, either economically or by establishing friendly relations with other people,” the state attorneys argued.

They added that “the crime was committed with cruel means: severe beating to which the victim was subjected, causing intense and unnecessary suffering. The crime was committed in such a way as to make it difficult for the victim to defend himself, his ability to react reduced by the ingestion of alcohol and anxiety medication.”

Rio de Janeiro Judge Rosa Helena Macedo Guita from the 2nd Criminal Court Friday had ordered Hahn's release from custody last week after being under preventive detention since Aug. 7. The same magistrate had denied a request for freedom filed Aug. 9 by the diplomat's defense, claiming “there were no illegalities” in Hahn's arrest in flagrante delicto.

Biot, 52, who was found dead in the couple's penthouse, on Rua Nascimento e Silva, in Ipanema, Rio's south zone.

Upon granting the diplomat's release, the magistrate urged the Public Prosecutor's Office to take the necessary measures due to the time elapsed since his arrest and the absence of a formal arraignment.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)