The Portuguese Judicial Police (PJ) has confirmed that the death of Portuguese banker Pedro Ferraz Reis in a Maputo hotel bathroom was a case of suicide. The Portuguese forensic team thus confirmed the conclusions reached by the Mozambican Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic). At a joint press conference on Friday in Maputo, PJ Chief Inspector Santos Martins, speaking alongside Sernic general director Ilidio Miguel, confirmed that the Portuguese banker had indeed taken his own life.
That conclusion had been reached jointly by Sernic, the PJ, the Forensic Medical Service of Maputo Central Hospital, and the National Forensic Medical Institute of Portugal. Martin said there had been an exhaustive analysis of the evidence including toxicological analysis of the contents of the banker’s stomach. This showed that he had indeed ingested the brand of rat poison known as Ratex.
Ferraz Reis had also been carrying a knife, but the forensic team did not find signs of his DNA on the blade. There had been no signs of defensive injuries – which was what the initial autopsy by Sernic had found. This would also suggest that Ferraz Reis did not cut his wrists, as had initially been suggested.
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CCTV footage showed Ferrez Reis buying the ratex, and two knives. He also took a kitchen knife from his home. Apparently, the poison was quite sufficient and he did not use the knives. Ferraz Reis had been the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Mozambican Commercial and Investment Bank (BCI) for 10 years.
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