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| Alberto Nisman: Argentina prosecutor's death closer to being solved | |
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| A year after the mysterious death of star prosecutor Alberto Nisman shook Argentina to the core and made headlines around the world, the case may finally be moving closer to a solution. | A year after the mysterious death of star prosecutor Alberto Nisman shook Argentina to the core and made headlines around the world, the case may finally be moving closer to a solution. |
| A judicial attempt to rule out the suggestion that Nisman’s death was suicide and the appearance in court of a former spymaster who could provide clues in the case suggests that the stalled investigation may inching towards a conclusion. | A judicial attempt to rule out the suggestion that Nisman’s death was suicide and the appearance in court of a former spymaster who could provide clues in the case suggests that the stalled investigation may inching towards a conclusion. |
| Nisman was found shot dead in his home last year just hours before he was due to appear before Congress to explain his accusations that thenpresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had conspired to cover up Iran’s alleged involvement in a 1994 terrorist attack in Buenos Aires. | Nisman was found shot dead in his home last year just hours before he was due to appear before Congress to explain his accusations that thenpresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner had conspired to cover up Iran’s alleged involvement in a 1994 terrorist attack in Buenos Aires. |
| The death remains unsolved, and until last week, authorities had not even decided whether to define it as homicide or suicide. On Thursday, however, federal appeals court prosecutor Ricardo Sáenz said that “the evidence produced so far” showed that Nisman had been the victim of a homicide. | The death remains unsolved, and until last week, authorities had not even decided whether to define it as homicide or suicide. On Thursday, however, federal appeals court prosecutor Ricardo Sáenz said that “the evidence produced so far” showed that Nisman had been the victim of a homicide. |
| Sáenz agreed with Nisman’s family that the absence of gunpowder on Nisman’s hand has ruled out the possibility of suicide. | Sáenz agreed with Nisman’s family that the absence of gunpowder on Nisman’s hand has ruled out the possibility of suicide. |
| “Scientific tests lead to the indisputable conclusion that the weapon that produced Nisman’s death leaves residue from the shot up to 20 hours after being fired, while no particle characteristic of a blast was found on the victim’s hands,” Sáenz wrote in the document which was submitted to the court in support of a lawsuit launched by Nisman’s family. | “Scientific tests lead to the indisputable conclusion that the weapon that produced Nisman’s death leaves residue from the shot up to 20 hours after being fired, while no particle characteristic of a blast was found on the victim’s hands,” Sáenz wrote in the document which was submitted to the court in support of a lawsuit launched by Nisman’s family. |
| Nisman’s supporters have long alleged that the prosecutor was killed in an attempt to derail his investigation into the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which left 85 dead and hundreds wounded. | Nisman’s supporters have long alleged that the prosecutor was killed in an attempt to derail his investigation into the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, which left 85 dead and hundreds wounded. |
| “Nisman was murdered and it was state policy [under Fernández] not to investigate it,” said Waldo Wolff, a Jewish community leader and legislator for the Cambiemos (Let’s Change) coalition of the country’s new centre-right president, Mauricio Macri. | “Nisman was murdered and it was state policy [under Fernández] not to investigate it,” said Waldo Wolff, a Jewish community leader and legislator for the Cambiemos (Let’s Change) coalition of the country’s new centre-right president, Mauricio Macri. |
| Cristina Fernández de Kirchner appeared to benefit from Nisman’s demise after the dead prosecutor’s charges against her were thrown out by a judiciary closely controlled by her administration. | Cristina Fernández de Kirchner appeared to benefit from Nisman’s demise after the dead prosecutor’s charges against her were thrown out by a judiciary closely controlled by her administration. |
| But the former president has strongly denied that her government was involved in Nisman’s death, suggesting at different times that the prosecutor had taken his own life or fallen victim to rogue intelligence agents out to discredit Fernández. | But the former president has strongly denied that her government was involved in Nisman’s death, suggesting at different times that the prosecutor had taken his own life or fallen victim to rogue intelligence agents out to discredit Fernández. |
| The appearance in court on Monday of former spymaster Antonio “Jaime” Stiuso may shed further light on the case. A long-time secret operative who began his career in the intelligence service during Argentina’s bloody 1976-83 dictatorship, Stiuso left Argentina around the time of Nisman’s death. | The appearance in court on Monday of former spymaster Antonio “Jaime” Stiuso may shed further light on the case. A long-time secret operative who began his career in the intelligence service during Argentina’s bloody 1976-83 dictatorship, Stiuso left Argentina around the time of Nisman’s death. |
| Nisman and Stiuso had worked closely together gathering evidence for Nisman’s charges against Iranian officials for their alleged involvement in the AMIA bombing. | Nisman and Stiuso had worked closely together gathering evidence for Nisman’s charges against Iranian officials for their alleged involvement in the AMIA bombing. |
| Although both Stiuso and Nisman were originally supporters of the Fernández administration, the relationship cooled after Fernández offered to replace the court investigation into Iran’s alleged involvement with an independent probe by a binational Iranian-Argentinian committee of experts. | Although both Stiuso and Nisman were originally supporters of the Fernández administration, the relationship cooled after Fernández offered to replace the court investigation into Iran’s alleged involvement with an independent probe by a binational Iranian-Argentinian committee of experts. |
| In the last few days before his demise, Nisman made public hundreds of hours of wiretaps that he claimed showed how a shadowy group of low-level intelligence operatives and social activists were secretly acting as intermediaries between Fernández and Iran, seemingly offering protection from prosecution for the Iranian officials allegedly involved in exchange for trade concessions that could help alleviate Argentina’s troubled economy. | In the last few days before his demise, Nisman made public hundreds of hours of wiretaps that he claimed showed how a shadowy group of low-level intelligence operatives and social activists were secretly acting as intermediaries between Fernández and Iran, seemingly offering protection from prosecution for the Iranian officials allegedly involved in exchange for trade concessions that could help alleviate Argentina’s troubled economy. |
| During the last year the probe into Nisman’s death became mired down in cross-accusations between Nisman’s family, who claimed the evidence showed Nisman was murdered, and the court officials handling the probe, who favoured the “suicide” hypothesis. | During the last year the probe into Nisman’s death became mired down in cross-accusations between Nisman’s family, who claimed the evidence showed Nisman was murdered, and the court officials handling the probe, who favoured the “suicide” hypothesis. |
| Nisman’s former wife and mother of his two daughters, judge Sandra Arroyo Salgado, has been a harsh critic of the last government’s apparent lack of interest in solving the case. “As a mother, I never felt that that the state protected us,” she recently told reporters. | Nisman’s former wife and mother of his two daughters, judge Sandra Arroyo Salgado, has been a harsh critic of the last government’s apparent lack of interest in solving the case. “As a mother, I never felt that that the state protected us,” she recently told reporters. |