Federal prosecutors in Argentina have asked President Javier Milei to authorise the release of sealed intelligence files as part of its investigation into the death of late AMIA special prosecutor Alberto Nisman, almost 10 years ago.
Just before last weekend the 3rd Federal Prosecutor’s Office of the Comodoro Py central courthouse in Buenos Aires formally asked Milei to authorise the declassification of secret documents related to Nisman’s 2015 death.
The request is aimed at files which could exist within the documentation retained by the intelligence agencies, not only the SIDE intelligence services but those from the Army and the federal security forces. This interest is justified by the belief that Nisman was murdered due to his work in the context of the 1994 attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre, which left 85 people dead, and its presumed cover-up via a pact with Iran.
Nisman was found dead in his Puerto Madero flat on January 18, 2015, four days after denouncing then-president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and several other ex-officials of being part of a plot to obscure the true identities of the attackers.
The former president denies the allegation against her and is likely to stand trial in the case later this year.
After a series of back and forths with various court instances analysing the hypotheses of suicide or homicide, the current file on his death maintains that Nisman was murdered, pointing to his ex-employee Diego Lagomarsino as a necessary participant in the crime.
Nisman’s four bodyguards, who should have been protecting him that weekend – Rubén Benítez, Luis Miño, Armando Niz and Néstor Durán – are also on trial for dereliction of duty.
This latest request was delivered directly to the Casa Rosada with the signatures of prosecutor Eduardo Taiano and assistant prosecutor Hernán Kleiman, who form part of the investigating team.
The investigators suggest that there is evidence indicating that, during Fernández de Kirchner’s presidency, there was a geopolitical rapprochement with Iran which provoked divisions within SIDE, which continued investigating the AMIA case, despite government orders to stop collaborating with Nisman.
It was determined that, given this context, SIDE functions began to be transferred to Army Intelligence. The request to Milei comes after multiple requests for information from SIDE have gone unanswered throughout this year.
Requests to the Defence Ministry were also ignored. The portfolio assures that to release the information required by the prosecutors, it is necessary to have SIDE approval and that they are still in that phase.
The writ sent to the President last Friday seeks to facilitate access to that information. According to the National Intelligence Law, the access to classified information must be authorised by the President or a delegated official.
The investigators are trying to clarify the role of "inorganic" spies in the period surrounding Nisman’s death, covering documents from 2004, when he became AMIA special prosecutor, until his death in 2015.
At the time of that crime, Army Intelligence was commanded by General César Milani, who responded directly to Fernández de Kirchner.
The access to information requested from President Milei seeks to clarify the relationship between Army Intelligence and SIDE, as well as the funds earmarked for “inorganic” spies. The information could be key to advancing in the investigation of the suspicions contained in the file on Nisman’s death, where several witnesses affirmed having seen Lagomarsino before the incident, suggesting a possible espionage role.
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