Woman demands exhumation after stumbling across her husband’s grave

A NICOSIA woman who discovered that her husband had died after finding his grave during a visit to her mother’s grave has demanded that the body be exhumed so that forensic examinations be carried out to determine the cause of his death.

According to yesterday’s Politis, Elpida Haralambidou and her husband Iacovos were separated when he died in Athens, but she was not notified of his death, or transport and burial in Cyprus.

Haralambidou only discovered that her husband had died after coming across his grave when she went to the cemetery to put fresh flowers on her mother’s grave. She claims the cause of her husband’s death was unknown and has demanded that his body be exhumed because she fears he did not die of natural causes.

In a letter to police, Haralambidou’s lawyer said “the deceased’s wife wants to determine the exact cause of death because her husband did not suffer from any health problems, and his death could therefore be described as unnatural.

A death certificate issued by the authorities in Athens stated that Iacovos Haralambides had died on January 1, at the Alexandra hospital, something which his wife claims is not true. She insists he died on January 2 at a house in Athens.

Haralambidou said her name and her husband’s marital status were not mentioned on the death certificate and said authorities in Athens failed to call on her to identify her husband’s body, and instead notified another relative.

State Pathologist Panicos Stavrianos said he would be carrying out a forensic examination on behalf of his wife when the go-ahead for the exhumation was given by the police.

Police yesterday refused to comment on the reports.