An Irish national has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of premeditated murder regarding his Japanese ex-wife in Hungary.
The 43-year-old was taken into custody on Tuesday by Hungarian authorities, six days after the woman’s fatality in an apartment blaze in Budapest on January 29.
A court decided yesterday to place the man in pre-trial detention for one month on the basis of intentional premeditated homicide.
The accused, who resides outside of Hungary, has filed an appeal against this ruling, according to a representative from Budapest’s Metropolitan Prosecution Office.
Initially, police considered cigarette smoke to be the cause of the fire, and an autopsy conducted at the scene revealed no signs of foul play.
Nevertheless, law enforcement officials informed reporters that CCTV footage and a follow-up forensic examination led them to initiate a murder inquiry.
The Irish man was subsequently apprehended. He refutes the allegations against him.
The Department of Foreign Affairs informed RTÉ News that it is aware of the situation but did not disclose whether consular support has been sought.
