An Irishman has pleaded not guilty to the premeditated murder of his Japanese ex-wife in Hungary.
The 43-year-old was arrested on Tuesday by Hungarian police, six days after the woman's death in an apartment fire in Budapest on 29 January.
A court yesterday ordered the pre-trial detention of the man for one month on the grounds of deliberate premeditated homicide.
The suspect, who does not live in Hungary, has appealed against the decision, according to a spokesperson for Budapest's Metropolitan Prosecution Office.
Firefighters found the remains of the 43-year-old woman’s body in the apartment where she lived in the city's fifth district on 29 January.
Police had initially suspected that cigarette smoke had caused the fire, and an on-site autopsy found no evidence of foul play.
However, police told reporters that CCTV evidence and a subsequent forensic autopsy prompted them to open a murder investigation.
The Irish man was later arrested. He denies the charge.
The Department of Foreign Affairs told RTÉ News that it was aware of the case, but did not confirm whether consular assistance had been requested.
