After a team of forensic experts ruled in September that the 2015 shooting death of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman was, indeed, murder – not suicide as the authorities had initially ruled – a federal judge has validated those findings in a lengthy ruling that seems to point the finger at former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.
The ruling is the latest blow to Fernandez, who won her bid for a senate seat in October. Though Fernandez has publicly said her decision to run is part of a political comeback, others have speculated that she ran for her senate seat to help insulate herself from accusations of money laundering and corruption, as well as her suspected work to cover up Iran’s role in financing the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires - a bombing that killed 85 people.
Alberto Nisman
Years later, Nisman was assigned to investigate a possible cover-up of Iranian officials’ role in the bombing. But he was found dead of a gunshot wound to the head in January 2015, hours before he was due to testify against former President Fernandez The ruling comes after a prosecutor recommended last year that the case be investigated as a murder.
In another stunning decision, Tuesday’s ruling by the Argentine judge also charged that Diego Lagomarsino, a former employee of Nisman’s, was an accessory to his murder, after a gun owned by Lagomarsino was found near Nisman’s body, as Reuters reported.
In a 656-page ruling, judge Julian Ercolini said there was sufficient proof to conclude that the shot to the head that killed Nisman in January 2015 was not self-inflicted. That marked the first time any judge has said the case was a murder.
Fernandez and others had suggested the death was a suicide, but a prosecutor investigating the case last year recommended it be pursued as a murder probe.
“Nisman’s death could not have been a suicide,” Ercolini wrote in Tuesday’s ruling, which also charged Diego Lagomarsino, a former employee of Nisman‘s, with accessory to murder.
Lagomarsino has acknowledged lending Nisman the gun that killed him the day before he was to appear before Congress to detail his allegation against Fernandez. But he has said Nisman asked him for the gun to protect himself and his family.
Earlier this month, Fernandez was formally charged with treason by a federal judge, and a federal judge called for her arrest. But before her arrest, Congress would have to vote to strip Fernandez of her immunity.
Meanwhile, her former Foreign Minister, Hector Timerman, was placed under arrest and confined to his home, where he wrote this New York Times op-ed professing his innocence and claiming to be a political prisoner.
In an unrelated case, Fernandez and her two children were indicted back in April on corruption charges related to deals involving a family owned real-estate company.
After leaving office in December 2015 following eight years in power – a period where Argentina’s economy experienced continued decline.
Her successor, the center-right former Mayor of Buenos Aires Mauricio Macri, has swiftly implemented pro-growth economic reforms like abolishing the country’s capital controls and reaching a settlement with a group of US hedge funds led by Paul Singer’s Elliott Management Corporation.
Now, the possibility that Fernandez will be held accountable for her actions is looking increasingly likely.
But suddenly, the judge himself committed suicide, leaving behind a typed note and an Iranian Passport.
He was about to say something damaging.........
don't cry for alberto; argentina
Imagine that. Argentina's very own Hillary Clinton.
Fernandez must have read Hillary's book, "Political Intrigue for Dummies".
Nah, comletely different.
The Argentinian bint got elected. Hillary is a perennial failure.
Not, when it comes to covering up her crimes through murder.
She's the most successful serial murderer this side of the Potomac.
QUESTION: Why would Iran need to finance a bomb? I believe just a little chemistry with cheap components is required.
Seems rather transparent way of accusing and rolling up Iran into the story line.
Also with bankers everything is due to money. What a load of fuck this world is.
Agree. Besides, it's quite plausible that the Israhelli MOSSAD killed him to point the finger at Iran in even more dramatic a fashion - just like when they did 9/11.
Whenever the Middle East is INVOLVED, look for Israhell's fingerprints.
http://biblicisminstitute.wordpress.com/2014/09/14/israel-is-the-problem/
Really good question.
Answer is probably counterintuitive and maybe because the “volunteers” actually need a ton of encouragement ... hookers and blow.
All these murders and similar events all allegedly pointing to Iran. It is almost as if someone were trying to paint Iran as a rogue state sponsor of terrorism.
"Everyone knows Iran is a state sponsor of terror" - ((Someone))
Agree. And then Paul Singer has the red carpet rolled out. Looks like the Iran angle is for public consumption.
Su nombre era Seth Rich.
Looking down on the Planet it seems things are speeding up quite Nicely
If poor, backward, dirtscrabble Argentina can solve this one, the DC cops should be able to solve Seth Rich and nail Hillary.
DC cops, like most cops, are only worried about their poension at this point. Also afraid of MSM trashing them as they did for 8 years under Mohammed Obama.
have you been to Argentina?
Most Americans seem poor copmpared to Argentineans. All my friends there have great houses (inherited or paid off), beautiful wives and kids and their houses are full of friends and family - they cook well, share stories, laugh all the time and are infinitelly happier than manic, depressed, suicidal americans.
Buenos Aires is full of beautiful houses, ots fo happy good looking people (not fat and sick liek Americans). Even dogs are allowed to have their balls (unlike poor American dogs). You can see old people walking aroudn with their grand children - (a very rare sight in teh US where most people don't even stay in touch with their cousins). Everyone I know plays in a band, and/or paints (and they are pretty good) apart from their full time jobs (architects, pharmacists etc), they also play soccer once a week with their old friends and they cook dinners for them once a week. I would trade my US/UK citizenships for Argentinean one any day
You forgot to mention theyreazy socialists
They have a point about Latin American corruption. But then again the USA is rapidly catching up.
Likewise the scale. See thing is: Many times you can trust a white or asian american. In Brazil for instance you have to be much more careful on the individual level. Not sure how this is in Argentina. Of course there are arguments to be made that the USA gov is most corrupt of them all with their banker's wars.
But your description of Argentines with paid of houses is good for those that got them but the Argentines I know in Brazil were not so lucky. They have nothing. But indeed they are quite nice people.
thanks. I guess I was thinking of France.
Sure, if you compare an Argentine travel brochure with ani-American propaganda.
Maybe you can like supplement that rigorous analysis with some trusted metric like Facebook Likes ... like.
They are indeed. For my vote some of the most beautiful women in the world - my driver in BA could have passed as Goerge Cloonies double, had several advanced degrees and spoke 4 languages.
Great human capital, beautiful coumtry - hopelessly incompetent government though.
Well... thank you for painting such a pleasant picture. I agree with some of it. Argentines do have more hobbies than the people of the U.S., because they do not spend all of their time watching TV. Family is certainly more important here and familial bonds are certainly much stronger. Argentina is a conservative society, for the most part, and retains the values of 19th Century Europe; in many ways, we are the last bastion of Western Civilization.
However... there are plenty of gordos (fatsos) here who eat far too much asado (barbecue). The cooking lacks imagination and is bland by U.S. standards. The dogs here are a national disgrace. They reproduce without limit. No one cares for them, and many wander the streets wild. Many people beat their animals. The result is near-feral packs of dogs that are public nuisance and an actual threat if you walking down a dark street at night. Not a week goes by when I am not forced to confront one or more angry dogs trying to bite at me.
Buenoes Aires is outrageously expensive, and the majority of the neighborhoods are overrun with crime. it is not safe to be on the streets at night in much of Buenos Aires. Argentina is a center for the drug trade in South America, much as the U.S. is in North America, since the people here are generally wealthier than those of the drug-exporting countrie like Columbia and Bolivia and can afford to pay higher prices for cocaine and other drugs. I dread the day when methamphetamines comes to Argentina.
If you wish to come to Argentina, I highly recommend looking outside Buenos Aires. The soul of Argentina is in Pueblos and little towns. Here, life is peaceful, the people friendly, and there is very little crime. You can leave your doors unlocked, safely walk the streets at night (except for occassionally having to stare down a semi-feral dog), and get on well with your neighbors.
Someone forgot to leave the suicide note at the hospital.
Time for a nailgun.
650 page ruling when a simple paragraph would do.
Who would benefit from his death? Fernandez? Like she would not know that she would be a prime suspect? Mossad on jew murder to make sure the Iranians take the blame?
Never stopped the Clintons. Fernandez pulled a page from their book.
Clintons have a lot of zionist connections. Fernandez was trying to get the blame off the iranians, not something a zionist lover would do.
She was not trying to blame off the iranians. She was trying to find a way to judge the iranians.
The cause itself is based on the false accusation that the memorandum could make Interpol's red-alerts on iranians fall, something Ronald Noble, Interpol's head said it was not possible.
She's being accused for the only fact that she's the main opposition and the only one capable of returning the power to the people.
You mean Persians, no?
Iranians can’t wait to “take the blame” so that don’t be making no sense.
There were attempts at the time to negotiate an oil pact between Iran and Argentina, in which Iranian oil would be imported and refined here. So the Iranians had something to gain by silencing Nisman. It is not certain that the Kirchner government was involved in his death, but members of her government certainly should be considered as potential suspects.
Where’s Anthony Weiner’s LapTop & Pure Evil War Criminal Treasonous Seditious Psychopath Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 + 650,000 Emails?
That, my friends is the Holy Grail of
Tyrannical Lawlessness
you see before yourselves along with the Pure Evil Tyrannical Lawless FBI, DOJ & Pure Evil War Criminal Treasonous Seditious Psychopaths at the CIA.
of course, because when its done by smaller countries, why, its a problem - but when the deep state usareal does it, why, then the media attacks you for pointing that out
You hear about this bombing almost as much as the Hollowcaust now and certainly more than 9/11.
Never forget who are the Chosen and who are not.
There were two terrorist attacks here in the 90s and more Argentines died in those attacks than Israelis. These attacks were considered "acts of war" against Argentina, as they should have been. This has nothing to do with Israel and everything to do with terrorists attacking the sovereign nation of Argentina.
Clearly shooting yourself in the head twice then hiding the gun is suicide. Oh wait, that's only in Arkansas.
Lol!!! I had the same thought. Arkancide is trending now.
the only Argentinean I know who likes the new president is one dumb, greedy woman I know from Los Angeles (she used to be married to an American but got divorced and moved back to Buenos Aires). All she thinks about is money - she i sreally dumb and selfish.
Last week the current governemtn lovered average pension by about 40% I think. And there was a lot of violence - mostly policemen beating and teargassing old people - I've seen many videos my friends from Buenos Aires posted on FB.
The government did not "lower pensions by 40%." The government will only be increasing pensions this year by 4%, rather than the customary 20-30%. This is one of several action that the Macri government has taken recently to try to reduce inflation, including freezing wages for a number of govnerment employees, including teachers. In order to understand the sitution, you have to understand the way things work here. After the financial collapse of 2001, instead of bailing out the banks, the government instead printed money to keep the poor from starving. As a famous Argentine politician stated at the time, "We had the choice of saving the banks or saving the people. We chose to save the people." It was a wise choice.
However, unlike the U.S., Argentina cannot export the inflation that results from money printing, because there is no petro-peso. So inflation became the norm in the years after the crisis. Because the Peso was losing 20-30% of its value every year, everyone began to expect prices to rise by 20-30%, so cost-of-living adjustments were expected for pensions, salaries, rents, everything. Each January, salaries, rents, prices, everything begin to rise, because everyone expects inflation. This expectation of inflation produces inflation because as wages go up, prices go up. As pensions and government salaries go up, money is printed, which increases the money supply and increases prices.
The people protesting in Buenos Aires, in you watch the videos, were not pensioners. They were all young, far too young to be receiving any pension. They were the leftist-Marxists, Peronistas, and most of them live at home with their parents and live off their parents' pensions. Breaking the cycle of government-dependence is not easy in a nation in which a large percentage of the population is accustomed to living off government subsidies. I give the Macri government credit for having the courage to take measures to bring inflation under control, even when confronted with steet-protests.
Could the police have handled the situation with more tact and without escalating the problem? Yes. The police were overly confrontational, and their over-reaction prompted the protests to become more violent than they would otherwise have been. As I have mentioned on Zerohedge before, Buenos Aires is not Argentina. The rest of the country was peaceful. There were no protests in any other major city, and life went on as normal where I live. A vocal minority does not express the sentiment of the majority, just as everyone in the U.S. did not go out into the streets wearing pussy-hats the day after Trump was elected.
Inflation is not because people has money to spend, but because the prices are fixated by a bunch of big companies trying to have bigger profits.
The yearly adjustes were meant for people to not loss consumption power. Now this government reduces the adjustment formula while grants enormous tax cuts to companies, agro business, and statizing his own private debts.
Look at the economy. We are headed into the biggest deficit in the country history, taking a record amount of loans while destroying employment and industries. And this is not because the Kirchner's government but because a coordinated plan to destroy Argentina's economically and culturally.
https://tradingeconomics.com/argentina/external-debt
Much of this massive increase in external debt is the result, I believe, of the Yuan credits that China extended Argentina at the beginning of 2016 to facilitate bi-lateral trade... i.e. soy for electronics. (Though I may be wrong about this. If there was a 25% increase in dollar-denominated debt, I would be interested to know about it).
We are trapped between Wall Street and the Chinese. What concerns me now, more than Wall-Street debt, is our trade deficit with China. This is one reason that I am pro-Trump. If Trump can start a trade war between the U.S. and China, then these two will be at each other, and Wall Street will no longer be aligned with China. There may be space for Argentina to free itself from the influence of both groups.
Nope. The debt increase is to fund this "financial bicycle" or carry trade I think http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-40412729
They created a scheme where it is more profittable to buy Lebac bonds (in dollars) than dollars itself. That's why the dollar didn't raise so much this year, but debt increase was record high.
Record debt, and record capital flight. We are everyday more submitted to external powers (specifically American) and lossing our soverignity.
Very sad.
This is the result of basing the exchange rate on the old "blue rate" and dates back to the Kirchner government. It was always such. Now, however, many more people are taking advantage of it because it is easier to make the arbitrage.
Basing the exchange rate in the "blue" was the first measure current government adopted.
In Kirchner times the exchange in "blue rate" was marginal, but people believed it was real because media heavily supported it.
Now the interest for Lebac is going nuts and the interest payments for the years to come are going to be unbearable.
It was real. It was a hole in Kirchner's attempts to prevent hot flows. She fixed the exchange rate for the dollar to the peso, but she could not control the exchange rates of bonds and stocks that were cross-listed in New York and Buenos Aires. To receive the blue rate, all you had to do was buy bonds or stocks in New York in dollars and sell them in Buenos Aires in pesos, or vice versa.
What needs to happen now is to normalize the exchange rate and stop using the blue-rate, but there are people in finance in Buenos Aires, Cordoba, and Mendoza who have made their careers from the arbitrage opportunities that the blue rate has created.
I don't know where you get this vision of the matter.
The cause itself is a joke. Clarin, the now main monopoly in Latinamerica has all the media, the justice and the parliament, and it's jailing the opposition and the non-aligned journalists without the need a fair trial. They are punishing CFK's government for trying to democratize the media and for improving the economy and for giving more rights to the less fortunate. There's no longer critical journalism in Argentina and the people is prevented from knowing anything because of the media blockout.
Last week Human Rights Watch condemned the ruling in this note
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/12/19/argentina-far-fetched-treason-charge...
The 650 fails to prove anything and the judge is completely biased in favour of the government. The Nisman case has more to do with his psychiatric problems and the pressure Macri's government put on him to make the case against CFK (he received more than 20 calls from Laura Alonso and Patricia Bullrich (now anti-corruption agency head and security minister) prior to his death.
As an example of this, Ronald Noble, former Interpol head, wants to testify because he also states that the ruling is insanely biased:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-argentina-fernandez/ex-interpol-chief...
Even Nisman is quoted saying the ruling has no sense:
http://www.eldestapeweb.com/la-version-completa-la-entrevista-nisman-la-...
Who is jailing journalists? How can Nisman, who is dead, say that the ruling that his death was not a suicide have no sense? Dead men do not make statements. You are all mixed up. I agree that the allegations of treason against Kirchner is going to far, but there needs to be a full investigation into Nisman's death. It was clearly not a suicide and either Iranian-backed elements or someone inside the Kirchner government are the most likely suspects.
And finally, Clarin does not have monopoly over the media. There are numerous indepedent dailies here that have no affiliation with Clarin. I do not agree with everything that Macri does, but there was substantial corruption in the later years of the Kirchner regime and in a lawful society, that corruption needs to be exposed and investigated. This has nothing to do with Macri and has to do with the rule of law and holding everyone, even government officials, to the same law.
Did you read what I shared? If you don't believe watch the interview. Nisman said this not about this ruling, but of his own case against CFK. I make the same question, how a fiscal can say this and at the same time present the denounce?
It was a fiscal with several pshychiatric problems. He inherited the cause being just an assistant, because all of his bosses were charged for covering the terrorist attack. He never worked in any other case but this one, for years, having an immense budget allowed by the Kirchners, spending a lot on holidays and whores, and he never advanced the investigation a single step forward in ten years.
I agree there could be corruption inside the Kirchner regime, but it is nothing compared with Macri's history of dark businesses with the government and these 2 years of stealing from the people.
Look at this and tell me it's not a monopoly (and tell me which media is not aligned with Macri's government lies)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DSAzg06W4AEZoHQ.jpg:large
You are looking in the wrong place. Notice who owns major stakes in the Clarin Group. Notice the name Goldman Sachs? Now you understand why Macri paid off Singer and his vulture fund. He did it to buy the press. The only reason Clarin is aligned with Macri is because Macri paid Singer; otherwise, the Clarin group's publications would be as anti-Macri as they are anti-Kirchner. Now look at the television news. Who owns it?
I do not agree with everything Macri does, and I think that he is a Wall-Street puppet. That being said, i do agree with his attempts to bring inflation under control. If he is able to do that, then it is in Argentina's national interest, even if he is aligned with Wall Street.