Cyprus leader 'found in new grave'
Cypriot police have found the body of former president Tassos Papadopoulos
Tuesday March 09 2010
The corpse of former Cyprus president Tassos Papadopoulos has been found reburied in another grave, three months after it was dug up and stolen.
The country's justice minister said it had been held for ransom, but Mr Papadopoulos' family said that they had never received a demand for money.
The right-wing Greek Cypriot hard-liner's body was stolen in December during slow-moving reunification talks with Turkish Cypriot leaders. A lack of clear motive and few clues led to speculation that it could have been politically motivated, but authorities suggested early on that ransom was a more likely scenario.
The robbers removed a heavy marble plaque from on top of Mr Papadopoulos' grave on the southern outskirts of the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, then dug down to the coffin and removed the body on December 11, a day before the first anniversary of his death.
The robbers left few clues. Lime was strewn over the grave in what investigators believe was an attempt to erase any tracks.
Investigators sought the help of the FBI and Interpol as well as Greek and Israeli law enforcement authorities.
But there was little progress in the investigation until yesterday when police found the body in another cemetery after being alerted by his family, who had received a telephone tip.
A family spokesman said a man speaking broken Greek had called with information about the corpse and instructed them to contact police.
DNA testing confirmed it was Mr Papadopoulos' body. The former president's body was found inside another grave and covered with a thin layer of soil.
