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Iran Cover-Up Haunts Argentine’s Ex-President | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. CREDIT: ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP


Buenos Aries- Argentine’s appeals court reopened the case accusing ex-president Christina Fernandez of attempting to cover-up Iran’s alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish Center in Buenos Aires.

The cover-up case was originally filed by prosecutor Alberto Nisman, whose unexplained death in January 2015 shook the south American nation. The case was first thrown out over a lack of evidence before, before the Court of Cassation – Argentina’s highest criminal appeals court – reversed the decision this week.

The 1994 bombing was an attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association Building (AMIA) and would later come to be known as the AMIA bombing. At least 85 people were reportedly killed by the attack and hundreds injured, becoming Argentina’s deadliest bombing ever.

On 25 October 2006 Nisman along with other prosecutors formally accused the government of Iran of directing the bombing, and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia of carrying it out. According to the prosecution’s claims in 2006, Argentina had been targeted by Iran after Buenos Aires’ decision to suspend a nuclear technology transfer contract to Tehran.

The three judges voted unanimously to re-open the criminal complaint against Fernandez and her foreign minister Héctor Timerman, report the New York Times.

“The evidence does not allow for a clear dismissal of the possible commission of illicit acts,” Argentina’s official judicial information Centre said in a statement. “The accusation must be weighed in advance of dismissal.”

Argentinian president Mauricio Macri pledged upon his election to expose those responsible for the AMIA attack, and directed intelligence to cooperate in unveiling the truth.

Not only that, but Fernandez was indicted on Tuesday on charges she ran a corruption scheme with a public works secretary who was arrested in June while trying to stash millions of dollars in a convent.

A federal judge accused them and other officials of the Fernandez administration of crimes “including the deliberate seizure of funds principally meant for public road works.”

Corruption charges have long swirled around Fernandez and her husband and predecessor, the late Nestor Kirchner.

In May Fernandez was indicted for “unfaithful administration to the detriment of public administration.” During her administration, according to the charges, the central bank took money-losing positions in the futures market just before a widely expected devaluation of the peso currency.