Argentine Judge Finally Clears Way : Christina Onassis’ Body Flown to Greece

After some delay caused by legal complexities, the body of Christina Onassis was permitted to leave Argentina on Wednesday for burial in Greece.

Formal judicial clearance came while relatives and friends waited with the casket at the airport. Her fourth and last ex-husband, French business magnate Thierry Roussel, accompanied the body to Switzerland, en route to the Onassis’ island of Skorpios.

Onassis was found dead Saturday at the age of 37 at a friend’s home in suburban Buenos Aires.

A judge’s questions about the cause and circumstances of her death had delayed the departure, originally planned for Monday or Tuesday. In the meantime, the body of Onassis, heir to one of the world’s great shipping fortunes, lay in a Greek Orthodox chapel, mourned by a stream of select friends and relatives who waited uncertainly for a decision.

Curious neighbors and a horde of photographers formed an unofficial wake outside the church in the fashionable Palermo district, watching the comings and goings of Argentine society.

“She had success, but she never had luck,” mused one elderly woman who had paused outside the church while taking her poodle for a stroll Tuesday night.

That summed up many Argentines’ reaction to the death of a woman whose wealth was variously estimated from $200 million to $1 billion.

Most accounts suggest that after years of marital turmoil and periodic depression, Onassis was closer to happiness in the last few days here than at any time in recent years. She had lost some weight, was said to be relaxed and considering settling in Argentina and was reported to be romantically involved with a Greek-Argentine man.

Her father, Aristotle Onassis, began building his shipping empire in Argentina as a poor immigrant in the 1920s who first worked as a dishwasher and shoeshine boy. The family continued to maintain interests here.

Was Sole Heir

Christina was the sole heir when Onassis died in 1975 in Paris, two years after the death of his only son, Alexander, in a plane crash. Her fortune goes to her only child, her 3-year-old daughter Athena, born from her marriage with Roussel, who arrived Monday from Paris to handle the shipment of the body.

Onassis’ housekeeper, Heleni Syros, who apparently found the body, was ordered to remain in Argentina until the investigation is completed.

The initial coroner’s report said the cause of death was acute pulmonary edema, a buildup of fluid in the lungs.

Judge Alberto Piotti declared that several issues still needed to be clarified. Those included statements that the body was dragged from the bathroom where Onassis was stricken into an adjacent room, and suggestions that a container of pills was seen by the body but not found. Also in dispute is why the body was taken from the exclusive resort where Onassis died to a private clinic, without immediately notifying the police.

However, there has been no suggestion of foul play or suicide. Rather, judicial and police authorities want to ensure that the investigation is thorough. Piotti said Tuesday that he would not release the body until he was certain that there would not be any reason for a later exhumation.

Mary Onassis, an aunt, said: “A happy person could never commit suicide, and Christina was content and very happy. Christina was in the best part of her life.”

After Interior Minister Enrique Nosiglia visited the chapel Tuesday night, reports emerged that Piotti would issue clearance for the body to leave the country. Court officials said that the tissue and blood samples taken from the body would be sufficient for the forensic experts to complete their work.

Nosiglia had insisted that his visit was private, but newspapers speculated that the government had pressed for a speedy conclusion to the case to avoid any diplomatic repercussions.