The Daily Telegraph track down Cecilia Haddad’s ex lover who revealed he is co-operating with detectives
THE Brazilian ex-lover of mining executive Cecilia Haddad, whose body was found floating in the Lane Cove River, has broken his silence. The 40-year-old lived with Ms Haddad in Ryde until she asked him to move out two weeks before her death.
NSW
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THE Brazilian ex-lover of mining executive Cecilia Haddad, whose body was found floating in the Lane Cove River, has broken his silence to reveal he has spoken to NSW detectives investigating her murder.
Mario Marcelo Santoro told The Daily Telegraph from his Rio home that he had “placed himself at their disposal”.
The 40-year-old, who lived with Ms Haddad in Ryde until she asked him to move out two weeks before her death, has not yet been asked to make a formal statement. Detectives need an arrest warrant approved by a Sydney court before they can fly to Brazil to interview him, legal sources said.
Mr Santoro spoke to police when they contacted him on his mobile phone in South America.
“I’ve already spoken to (police), I’ve placed myself at their disposal,” Mr Santoro, who lives in the affluent residential neighbourhood of Lagoa, said.
“I have nothing to say about this, you will have to speak to my lawyer.”
He flew home to Brazil late on Saturday, April 28, before fellow Brazilian Ms Haddad’s fully-clothed body was found floating at Woolwich early the next day.
She was last seen by friends at a barbecue on the Friday evening.
Friends said Mr Santoro had spoken about being unhappy in Sydney and in March talked about returning to Brazil as he missed his family and two daughters.
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A close family member of Ms Haddad’s has arrived in Sydney to talk to detectives and is making arrangements to take her body home to Rio.
Homicide detectives who formed Strike Force Bronwyn to investigate the murder of Ms Haddad have said Mr Santoro is not a suspect but a person of interest and they want to check his alibi.
“Strike Force Bronwyn are continuing their inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the death of Cecilia Haddad both here and abroad,” police said in a statement yesterday. “NSW Police Force has engaged with international partners, and given the sensitive nature of these inquiries, it is not appropriate to comment further.”
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Ms Haddad, arrived in Australia about 11 years ago and worked for mining giant BHP until moving to Sydney in June 2016.
Engineer Mr Santoro, who had known Ms Haddad for many years after meeting her in Rio, joined her in Australia about 18 months ago.
In July last year, Ms Haddad set up her own consulting company and a few months later began a business partnership with Mr Santoro, launching the disability service provider D.Care.
But Brazilian records also reveal that the high-flying businesswoman had financial problems back home.
Her name was on Brazil’s credit blacklist SPC, which would have prevented her from getting credit, while according to the Serasa credit reference agency in the country, she had a dismal credit score of 137 out of 1000.
Mr Santoro comes from a wealthy Brazilian family who have properties in the most up-market beachside neighbourhoods of Rio de Janeiro.