Dead Prosecutor Had Drafted Warrant To Arrest Argentina’s President

A woman chants the Argentine national anthem holding a portrait of the late prosecutor Alberto Nisman outside the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. Nisman, who had bee... A woman chants the Argentine national anthem holding a portrait of the late prosecutor Alberto Nisman outside the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015. Nisman, who had been investigating the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community center that killed 85 people and who accused President Cristina Fernandez of shielding Iranian suspects, was found dead from a gunshot to the head, in his apartment late Sunday, hours before he was to testify in a Congressional hearing about the case. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) MORE LESS

By Dylan Scott

February 3, 2015 3:08 p.m.

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The Argentinian prosecutor whose death has sparked widespread protests had drafted an arrest warrant for the country’s president prior to his death, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Prosecutor Alberto Nisman had been investigating the 1994 bombing of the Argentina Israelite Mutual Association, which killed 85 people, and whether the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner had protected Iranian officials from being prosecuted for the bombing in exchange for oil.

Nisman was killed by a gunshot to the head at his apartment on Jan. 18, the day before he was scheduled to speak to the country’s Congress about his findings.

Now investigators say they found a drafted arrest warrant for Kirchner and other top Argentinian officials in the garbage at Nisman’s apartment. The warrants alleged that Kirchner had tried to protect Iranian officials from being arrested and charged for the Jewish center bombing, according to the Times.

Kirchner has denied that there was any deal with Iran to exchange legal protection for oil and accused Argentinian intelligence of stringing Nisman along in his investigation. After his death, she pushed for the intelligence agency to be dissolved.

Correction: This post originally stated that Nisman was murdered. His death has not been officially ruled a homicide. It is currently under investigation.

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Dylan Scott

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pshipkey says:

February 3, 2015

"Now investigators say they found a drafted arrest warrant for Kirchner and other top Argentinian officials “in the garbage at Nisman’s apartment.”

Hmmmmmmm
martinheldt says:

February 3, 2015

Murder?

It has not been determined whether murder or suicide. He was found with a gunshot to the head in an apartment locked from the inside.

The Nation has an interesting take:

Nisman’s death is classic black-bag baroque. It involves spies, Cold War intelligence agencies, Israel, Syria, Iran, oil politics, and, of course, the CIA and Mossad. But before going in to the deals, I want to point out its eerie similarity to another bizarre political death, in Guatemala of Rodrigo Rosenberg in 2009.

Rosenberg, just before he was murdered, made a video in which he accused the country’s then left-of-center president, Álvaro Colom, of having killed him because he had evidence of corruption. Where Nisman reportedly predicted his own death (“I might get out of this dead"), Rosenberg, in his video, said “if you are hearing or seeing this message it means that I’ve been murdered by President Álvaro Colom.”

Rosenberg then paid assassins to kill him.

In any case, it is not good reporting to call this murder. The New York Times does not call this murder. The case has not been made.

On edit:

The Guardian:

Investigators have yet to determine whether the killing was suicide or murder.

Nisman had just borrowed the gun which killed him.

The Telegraph

The Argentinian prosecutor was found dead with a bullet through his head but who pulled the trigger is not clear.
mondfledermaus says:

February 3, 2015

Argentinians are frequently described as leaving in a different reality… this kind of crazy stuff just confirms it. No wonder Buenos Aires has the largest number.of shrinks per capita.
chammy says:

February 3, 2015

I have been following this very interesting story being carried by Ian Masters on our local far left station KPFK. I am surprised this is the first I have seen it (I may be wrong) on TPM. From what I have heard it sounds more and more like he was murdered
doremus_jessup says:

February 3, 2015

Underscoring the tension surrounding the death of Mr. Nisman, who was buried at a Jewish cemetery last week, anti-Semitic posters began appearing in central Buenos Aires this week. They read: “The good Jew is the dead Jew. The good Jew is Nisman.”

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

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