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| Argentinian court will now treat Alberto Nisman's death as a homicide investigation | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Argentinian judge overseeing the investigation into the mysterious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman has announced that she is passing the case to a federal court to be treated as a homicide investigation. | The Argentinian judge overseeing the investigation into the mysterious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman has announced that she is passing the case to a federal court to be treated as a homicide investigation. |
| Judge Fabiana Palmaghina’s announcement came just hours after a former operations chief of the country’s disbanded spy agency testified in court that Alberto Nisman had been murdered because of his work. | Judge Fabiana Palmaghina’s announcement came just hours after a former operations chief of the country’s disbanded spy agency testified in court that Alberto Nisman had been murdered because of his work. |
| Until now, Palmaghina had pursued the hypothesis that Nisman had killed himself, but in her ruling – made public on Tuesday afternoon – she cited a section of testimony by former spy chief Antonio Stiuso in which he suggested that Iran was involved in Nisman’s death. | Until now, Palmaghina had pursued the hypothesis that Nisman had killed himself, but in her ruling – made public on Tuesday afternoon – she cited a section of testimony by former spy chief Antonio Stiuso in which he suggested that Iran was involved in Nisman’s death. |
| “With the Iranians, it’s irrelevant whether or not you have bodyguards, because if you are a target, they study you, they study and get to know your movements. Having bodyguards is pointless when these people are your enemy,” Stiuso said during his appearance at a 17-hour appearance at a closed court on Monday. | “With the Iranians, it’s irrelevant whether or not you have bodyguards, because if you are a target, they study you, they study and get to know your movements. Having bodyguards is pointless when these people are your enemy,” Stiuso said during his appearance at a 17-hour appearance at a closed court on Monday. |
| “[Nisman’s] death was intimately linked to the work he was doing,” he said, according to a transcript of the judge’s ruling. | |
| Judge Palmaghini said that her conclusion was also prompted by the “extensive” contamination of the death scene by at least 20 people – and the apparent tampering with Nisman’s computers and phones by the security officers in the first hours of the investigation. | Judge Palmaghini said that her conclusion was also prompted by the “extensive” contamination of the death scene by at least 20 people – and the apparent tampering with Nisman’s computers and phones by the security officers in the first hours of the investigation. |
| “This can’t have been all coincidences or mistakes,” she said. | “This can’t have been all coincidences or mistakes,” she said. |
| The dramatic developments came two weeks after the first anniversary of a death that stunned Argentinians. Nisman was found lying in the bathroom of his rented apartment with a gunshot wound to his head, the day before he was due to appear before congress to present allegations against then-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. | |
| Fernández has argued that the unexplained death was either a suicide or a deliberate attempt to sabotage her government, but the country’s new president Mauricio Macri, appears to support the theory that Nisman was murdered. | Fernández has argued that the unexplained death was either a suicide or a deliberate attempt to sabotage her government, but the country’s new president Mauricio Macri, appears to support the theory that Nisman was murdered. |
| Addressing the first session of congress on Tuesday, Macri said: “Let’s not forget that little more than a year ago prosecutor Alberto Nisman appeared dead in circumstances that remain uncertain but that are slowly starting to clear up.” | Addressing the first session of congress on Tuesday, Macri said: “Let’s not forget that little more than a year ago prosecutor Alberto Nisman appeared dead in circumstances that remain uncertain but that are slowly starting to clear up.” |
| Nisman died just hours before he was due to present evidence to support his theory that Fernández had secretly negotiated with Iran to obtain trade concessions in return for camouflaging Iran’s alleged role in a terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires at a Jewish community centre that killed 85 people and left hundreds others wounded. | Nisman died just hours before he was due to present evidence to support his theory that Fernández had secretly negotiated with Iran to obtain trade concessions in return for camouflaging Iran’s alleged role in a terrorist bombing in Buenos Aires at a Jewish community centre that killed 85 people and left hundreds others wounded. |
| Nisman had obtained hundreds of hours of wiretaps that he claimed showed that Fernández was acting through a network of intelligence operatives and activists to help shield Iran from Nisman’s investigation into the terrorist blast. | Nisman had obtained hundreds of hours of wiretaps that he claimed showed that Fernández was acting through a network of intelligence operatives and activists to help shield Iran from Nisman’s investigation into the terrorist blast. |
| Related: Spies, cover-ups and the mysterious death of an Argentinian prosecutor | Related: Spies, cover-ups and the mysterious death of an Argentinian prosecutor |
| The case sent shockwaves through Argentina, with rival explanations for the Nisman’s death mirroring the political divide between Fernandez and her opponents. | The case sent shockwaves through Argentina, with rival explanations for the Nisman’s death mirroring the political divide between Fernandez and her opponents. |
| In recent months, pressure had grown for Palmaghini to pass the case to one of the country’s top federal judges, who would be better equipped to handle the politically sensitive investigation. | In recent months, pressure had grown for Palmaghini to pass the case to one of the country’s top federal judges, who would be better equipped to handle the politically sensitive investigation. |
| Nisman’s former wife, Judge Sandra Arroyo Salgado, had already appealed the judge to relabel the case as “homicide” and transfer it to a federal court. | Nisman’s former wife, Judge Sandra Arroyo Salgado, had already appealed the judge to relabel the case as “homicide” and transfer it to a federal court. |
| At Monday’s hearing, Stiuso – who worked closely with Nisman during the investigation into the 1994 bomb attack – told judge Palmaghini that Nisman’s death was related to their investigation and reportedly pointed to rogue elements in Argentina’s intelligence service. | At Monday’s hearing, Stiuso – who worked closely with Nisman during the investigation into the 1994 bomb attack – told judge Palmaghini that Nisman’s death was related to their investigation and reportedly pointed to rogue elements in Argentina’s intelligence service. |
| Stiuso entered the courtroom at 10am Monday, leaving only at 3am on Tuesday. | |
| “It was shocking testimony,” said Juan Pablo Vigliero, the lawyer representing Nisman’s two teenage daughters, who was present at Monday’s hearing. “When you hear it and see it written up in the judicial file you say: Wow, how could this be?” he told reporters. | “It was shocking testimony,” said Juan Pablo Vigliero, the lawyer representing Nisman’s two teenage daughters, who was present at Monday’s hearing. “When you hear it and see it written up in the judicial file you say: Wow, how could this be?” he told reporters. |
| Stiuso himself is an enigmatic figure who for decades is reputed to have commanded a vast eavesdropping network that made him the most feared man in Argentina.He joined the service in 1972 at the age of 18, slowly rising to become its most powerful agent. According to various press reports, Stiuso ran a wiretapping network that fed former president Fernández and her since-deceased husband and predecessor in office Néstor Kirchner secret information on their political opponents.Stiuso’s relationship with Fernández reportedly soured after Fernández decided to seek an understanding with Iran after almost 20 years of difficult relations and the collapse of trade between the countries following the 1994 blast that Nisman was investigating. | Stiuso himself is an enigmatic figure who for decades is reputed to have commanded a vast eavesdropping network that made him the most feared man in Argentina.He joined the service in 1972 at the age of 18, slowly rising to become its most powerful agent. According to various press reports, Stiuso ran a wiretapping network that fed former president Fernández and her since-deceased husband and predecessor in office Néstor Kirchner secret information on their political opponents.Stiuso’s relationship with Fernández reportedly soured after Fernández decided to seek an understanding with Iran after almost 20 years of difficult relations and the collapse of trade between the countries following the 1994 blast that Nisman was investigating. |
| In the weeks after Nisman’s death, Fernández suggested that Nisman had been targeted by rogue agents, and announced that she would disband Argentina’s domestic and foreign spy service, the Intelligence Secretariat and replace it with a new body. | |
| Stiuso is believed to have spent the last year in hiding in the US after Nisman’s death. He returned to Argentina 10 days ago, entering the country via the northern city of Gualeguaychú on the border with Uruguay. |