Police recover stolen corpse of former president

A Cyprus police spokesman confirmed that a body discovered in a Nicosia cemetery is the stolen corpse of ex-president Tassos Papadopoulos.

Spokesman Michalis Katsounotos said DNA results obtained early today positively identify the corpse as Mr Papadopoulos.

Mr Katsounotos said a tip-off led police to the corpse late yesterday. He would not elaborate in what state the corpse was, however.

Mr Papadopoulos’ corpse was stolen from a graveyard in suburban Nicosia on December 11 – the eve of the first anniversary of his death from lung cancer. The motive remains a mystery.

Mr Papadopoulos was president from 2003 to 2008.