Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been formally accused of trying to cover up Iran’s involvement in the deadly bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in 1994.
A federal prosecutor, Gerardo Pollicita, has asked a federal judge to investigate the president. Pollicita inherited the case from his colleague Alberto Nisman, who was found dead in his apartment in mysterious circumstances.
Nisman’s death, which roused suspicion despite being labelled suicide, came a day before he was due to give evidence to the Congress, the Argentinian parliament, over the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA) bombing, which killed 85.
Nisman, 51, was found dead in his bathroom with a gunshot wound to the head on January 18. He has claimed the President and Foreign Minister Hector Timerman protected Iranian officials from prosecution over the 1994 bombing in exchange for oil.
In his 300-page complaint, Alberto Nisman claims that the president decided to “not incriminate” former senior Iranian officials for their roles in planning the bombing, and instead has sought a rapprochement with Tehran, “establishing trade relations to mitigate Argentina’s severe energy crisis.”
In May 2014, an Argentine court declared unconstitutional an agreement with Iran to probe the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center. The agreement had been approved in 2013 by Argentina’s congress, at the request of the executive branch. Nisman consistently argued that the agreement constituted “undue interference of the executive branch in the exclusive sphere of the judiciary.”
Since 2006, Argentine courts have demanded the extradition of eight Iranians, including former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former defense minister Ahmad Vahidi and Mohsen Rabbani, Iran’s former cultural attache in Buenos Aires, over their alleged involvement in the AMIA bombing.
The president denies the allegations, with the government calling the probe an "anti-democratic attack".
Federal Prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita has now decided to go ahead with the probe.
"An investigation will be initiated with an eye toward substantiating ... the accusations and whether those responsible can be held criminally responsible," Prosecutor Pollicita said.
Three prosecutors and a coordinator have been named to take over the case.
The 61-year-old Kirchner has presidential immunity which can only be removed with a two-thirds majority in Congress.
In his 300-page complaint, Alberto Nisman claims that the president decided to “not incriminate” former senior Iranian officials for their roles in planning the bombing, and instead has sought a rapprochement with Tehran, “establishing trade relations to mitigate Argentina’s severe energy crisis.”
In May 2014, an Argentine court declared unconstitutional an agreement with Iran to probe the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center. The agreement had been approved in 2013 by Argentina’s congress, at the request of the executive branch. Nisman consistently argued that the agreement constituted “undue interference of the executive branch in the exclusive sphere of the judiciary.”
Since 2006, Argentine courts have demanded the extradition of eight Iranians, including former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former defense minister Ahmad Vahidi and Mohsen Rabbani, Iran’s former cultural attache in Buenos Aires, over their alleged involvement in the AMIA bombing.