A court in Brazil has ordered the release from custody of a German consular officer suspected of murdering his husband.
The public prosecutor's office had missed the deadline by which they should have applied for the initiation of criminal proceedings, the responsible judge said on Saturday on request.
Another application by the German for release from prison had previously been rejected.
In it, the man had referred to his diplomatic immunity.
The consular officer was arrested at his home in Rio de Janeiro in early August after his husband's body was found there.
According to him, the Belgian suddenly felt bad, fell and died.
However, investigators found traces of blood throughout the apartment.
According to the autopsy report, a blow to the back of the head resulted in death.
According to media reports, the couple had been married for over 20 years.
According to the police, fresh and older injuries were discovered all over the victim's body.
This indicates that the man was exposed to severe physical suffering both on the day of death and beforehand, according to a statement from the judiciary.