Both Brazilian Federal Police and the Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police are investigating whether Mário Marcelo Santoro, 40, a former boyfriend and former partner of Cecília, had a role in the death of Brazilian business woman Cecília Haddad, whose body was found in Sydney.
The press office of the Brazilian Ministry of Justice informed SBS Portuguese Program by email that "in relation to concrete, ongoing cases, the Department of Asset Recovery and International Legal Cooperation/DRCI can't comment without the competent authorities having given authorization to do so, including whether or not a request for extradition was received, as it may jeopardize the ongoing investigation".
The detectives of the Rio de Janeiro's Civil Police are in contact with the Federal Police - Brazilian representative of INTERPOL/International Criminal Police Organization - to obtain information with the Australian police about the crime. It is up to the Brazilian Federal Police alone to contact the foreign police authorities.
Each of the states of Brazil has its own "Civil Police Department", which carries out detective work, forensics and criminal investigation, acting as a state bureau of investigation, while the "Military Police" carries out preventive police duties.
On Wednesday, June 27, Australian media reported that an arrest warrant was issued against Mário Santoro, so if and when this arrest warrant is confirmed, he will be then considered a fugitive from justice, to be detained on the spot if found in Australia.
The New South Wales Police Force, in charge of the investigation, did not confirm the news of the arrest warrant and treated the case in secrecy: "New South Wales Police is not in a position, at this stage, to comment on the investigation", SBS Portuguese was informed by email.
Brazil and Australia have an extradition treaty since 1996. The document was signed on August 22, 1994 and promulgated by Decree No. 2,010 of September 25, 1996.
However, according to article 5 of the Brazilian Federal Constitution, "no Brazilian shall be extradited, except the naturalized, in case of a common crime, committed prior to naturalization, or proven involvement in the traffic of illicit narcotics and related drugs, as provided by law ".
The body of the "carioca" Cecilia Haddad, 38, was found completely dressed and unharmed, floating on the river Lane Cove in Sydney by kayakers on the morning of April 29 and news broke in Australia, identifying the body for the first time as Cecilia Haddad, on the 2nd of May.
SBS Portuguese Radio 12 pm program on 2nd May was the first media outlet to report that Cecilia Haddad's ex-boyfriend have left Sydney the night before her body was found, after information from her friends in Perth.
SBS Portuguese has been following the case since the news broke on 2nd May.
Mário Marcelo Santoro, a civil and production Engineer graduated in 2001 from Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro/PUC-RJ, has maintained more than a loving relationship with Cecília Haddad: they were business partners in a company that provided services to the disabled.
Records in the Australian Security and Investment Commission/ASIC and the Australian Business Register/ABN show that Cecília Haddad and Mário Marcelo Santoro were the owners of "D.Care", a company registered in November 2017 at Cecilia's residential address in Sydney's Ryde neighborhood.
Records at Australian Security and Investment Commission show partnership between Cecilia and Marcelo. Source: Australian Security and Investment Commission
