A father who believes his son was murdered in Bermuda has welcomed news that an inquest should begin shortly, 19 months after the death.

Jack Pappas hopes the probe will back his personal conclusion that the death of Dimitri Pappas, 37, who was found hanging in a clothes closet, was not at his own hands.

"I want to make sure that my son is recognised not as a suicide but as someone that was murdered," he said, expressing hope the inquest would spark further Police investigations.

Dimitri Pappas, a wealthy American businessman based in the Caymans, was found dead in his room at the Brightside Apartments in Flatts on July 20 2005.

The Police said a month later that a pathology report did not indicate foul play.

However the dead man's parents have described him as being in good spirits before his death, and claimed that at almost six foot, he could not have hanged himself in a closet shorter than he was.

They have also said Mr. Pappas had a broken arm, making it impossible to imagine how he tied himself to a clothes bar.

Jack Pappas told The Royal Gazette last night that he had compiled a dossier of information relating to the death of Dimitri, who worked around the world as consultant in the realm of finance and accounting.

"He had a lot of accounting relationships including high-placed people. My thing is, I think he knew too much. I do think he was murdered," he alleged.

He declined to elaborate on this with the inquest pending, but said he had concerns over whether the Police investigation was sufficiently rigorous.

Hitting out over the time that has passed between the death and the inquest, slated to open on January 23, he said: "They have had four or five investigating officers and then I think there's been at least three changes in coroner. It's like a revolving door."

He added: "Everything has been flaky since the very beginning, although everyone has been very nice and friendly."

Mr. Pappas plans to travel to Bermuda for the inquest from his Solomans, Maryland home, and hopes to give evidence to the hearing.

He anticipates that Dimitri's mother, Sue Kongsli, who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, may also attend.

Whatever the outcome of the coroner's probe, Mr. Pappas is unsure whether it will help him move on from the trauma of losing his son.

"It's hard. I truly haven't internalised the death. I keep thinking, 'gee, Dimitri would like to do this' and that I would like to give him a call," he explained. "I think closure may come with time. I'm going on 68 years old, so we'll see."

The inquest is set to receive international attention as the case has been followed with interest by news organisations in both the Caymans and the US.

A Bermuda Police Service spokesman declined to comment last night.