Subject: Update On Amia Indictments
Origin Embassy Buenos Aires
(Argentina)
Cable
time Fri, 27
Oct 2006 19:55 UTC
Classification CONFIDENTIAL
(,,,)
(C) Comment: AMIA prosecutor Alberto Nisman told the CDA on October
26 that he had spoken with Judge Canicoba Corral and that the judge told him he
expected to make his decision within three-to-four weeks. Nisman said he didn't think the
judge would delay much longer given the tremendous attention and pressure in
the case.
MATERA
Subject
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Amia Arrest Warrants
Could Come Earlier Than Anticipated
|
Origin
|
|
Cable time
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Wed, 1 Nov 2006 21:04 UTC
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Classification
|
CONFIDENTIAL
|
1.
(C) Summary: AMIA Prosecutor Alberto Nisman told CDA and EmbOffs
that Judge Canicoba Corral could issue arrest warrants for the eight indictees
as early as this Friday, November 3. It was expected that Canicoba Corral would
not want the case sitting on his desk for any length of time, but ratifying the
prosecutors 801 page resolution and issuing arrest warrants in just over a week
is extraordinary and also indicates that the Casa Rosada has given its tacit
approval that the process go forward.
(,,,)
2. (C) On November 1, CDA,
A/LegAtt and PolOff met with AMIA prosecutor Alberto Nisman. Nisman thanked the Embassy and
USG once again for its support for his efforts and for the public statements of
support following the October 25 release of the investigative report and
indictments (Ref. B).
Subject
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Amia Special
Prosecutors Call On Ambassador
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Origin
|
|
Cable time
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Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:40 UTC
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Classification
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CONFIDENTIAL
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(C) Nisman said he wished his own
government was more forthcoming in voicing support but did see as positive the
fact that the Foreign Ministry was pulling together an interagency group
(including the Prosecutors) to discuss next steps.
Subject
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Amia Update: Nisman Travels To Lyon With
Much-improved Application For Red Notices
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Origin
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Cable time
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Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:22 UTC
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Classification
|
CONFIDENTIA
|
1.
(C/NF) LEGATT and the Department of Justice's Office of International
Affairs (OIA) have reviewed the GOA's revised application for Interpol arrest
warrants ("Red Notices"), which AMIA Special Prosecutor
Alberto Nisman gave to LEGATT on January 17. LEGATT advises that the
9-page application is much improved over the original 2-page application
submitted on November 15, 2006. On January 19, USDOJ/OIA advised that three of
the nine needed improvement, including the warrants for former Iranian
Ambassador to Argentina Hadi Soleimanpour, former Iranian diplomat Ahmad Reza
Aghari or Mohsen Randjbaran, and Hezbollah leader Imad Fayez Moughnieh. OIA
also indicated that most of the explanations for the nine indicted suspects
contained statements that were presumptuous conclusions of guilt. OIA
recommends that these statements should be modified to indicate that they are
attributed to witnesses, records, surveillances, or other types of evidence
uncovered in the investigation.
2. (C/NF) LEGATT relayed
OIA's observations and recommendations to Nisman, who was appreciative of
Embassy and Washington's support. Nisman stated that he would
edit the application to incorporate OIA's comments by expanding on some of the
information that would further clarify the evidence the GOA has to support the
allegations. Nisman, two of his deputies, and Ambassador Gonzales depart
for France on January 19 at 11pm. Alejandro DiNizo, Chief of Argentina's
Interpol office departs on January 20 at 2pm. WAYNE
Subject
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Argentina: Amia Prosecutor Explains His Request For
Arrest Of Menem And Others In AmiaCase
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Origin
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Cable time
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Tue, 27 May 2008 10:18 UTC
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Classification
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CONFIDENTIAL//NOFOR
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(,,,)
2. (C) AMIA Special Prosecutor
Alberto Nisman called the Ambassador May 23 to apologize for not giving the
Embassy advance notice that he would be requesting the arrest of former
President Carlos Menem and other former government and judicial officials for
their alleged cover-up/hindrance of the investigation into the local
connections with the 1994 Hizballah-executed terrorist bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center.
He was especially apologetic that his announcement coincided with the visit of
FBI Deputy Director Pistole. Nisman several times said that
he just did not think of Mr. Pistole's visit connecting to his announcement.
(,,,)
3. (C) He noted that he was very
sorry and that he sincerely appreciates all of the USG's help and support and
in no way meant to undermine that. He said he had been up for 48 hours straight
before the announcement preparing it and that he was so focused on getting the
details of his case and charges right that he did not think of whom else to
inform, especially outside of Argentina. Nisman said he thought th U.S.
was primarily focused on who carried out and supported the attack itself, and
that we would not care so much if he went after persons suspected of hindering
the initial investigation. (Comment: As noted in para 9 of ref A, Legatt
officers have for the past two years recommended to Nisman that he focus on the
perpetrators of the terrorist attack and not on the possible mishandling of the
first investigation. Such action would only confuse the victims' families and
distract from the hunt for the real culprits, they argued.) Nisman said he had originally
hoped to make his announcement earlier in the week, but it took him longer to
get ready than he had planned.
Subject
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Argentina's Special Amia Prosecutor Defends His Actions
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Origin
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Cable time
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Thu, 29 May 2008 15:57 UTC
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Classification
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CONFIDENTIAL//NOFORN
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1.
(C) Summary: AMIA special prosecutor
Alberto Nisman explained to Embassy Officers on May 27 his reasons
for requesting the arrests of former President Carlos Menem and other officials
(ref B) for their alleged roles in obstructing justice in the investigation of
the 1994 terrorist bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center. He denied
the motivation was political, regretted the coincidence of his announcement
with the visit of the FBI Deputy Director, and discounted this would negatively
affect the case against the Iranian indictees.
(,,,)
2. (C) With emboffs, Nisman rejected the idea that
his action was politically motivated, describing in some detail the evidence
supporting his conclusions.
(,,,)
4. (C) Emboffs noted that Nisman's actions did not appear
to be prompted by any new information but were based on a rehash of old
theories about the "Syrian connection" and could complicate
international efforts to bring the Iranian indictees to justice. Nisman contended that the call
for Menem's arrest evolved as his team continued to review files and interview
witnesses. (…) Nisman stated that he had no further role in that aspect of
the case and that he would continue his focus on uncovering new leads and
strengthening the evidence against the Iranian indictees.
(,,,)
(C) Comment: Nisman is not the sort to have
gone public with the recommendation for Menem's and other's arrests without
some direction from higher-ups. From what has been made public, there appears
to be little "new" information to have warranted his highly publicized
arrest recommendations, which leads to speculation about political motives. Nisman may still be currying
favor from the Casa Rosada with a view to a favorable judicial appointment in
the future. As noted ref A, the Casa Rosada may have hoped Nisman's charges against Menem
and the others would bump the farm strike and other bad news off the front
pages. (They didn't.) If the GOA was hoping to appease victims' family groups
that have been pressuring the GOA to show progress on the AMIA investigation(s), they
have had little success there, either. WAYNE
Subject
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Argentina: Jewish Community Leaders Tell Ambassador
They Will Push Amia Investigation To Go After
"local Connection"
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Origin
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Cable time
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Wed, 3 Dec 2008 18:58 UTC
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Classification
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UNCLASSIFIED//FOR
OFFICIAL USE ONLY
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(,,,)
3. (SBU) In the meeting,
Schlosser, Barman, and Zbar did not dwell on the BAE article. Instead, they
praised the work of prosecutor Alberto Nisman in going after the
Iranian authors and perpetrators of the AMIA bombing, but also urged
that he show some results in going after the terrorists' "local
connection." They said the prosecutor should focus on basic questions,
such as who purchased the truck that was used in the bombing, who had telephone
contact with the bombers, and who intervened to transfer AMIA's police detail on the
day of the bombing. They also questioned the priority the GOA was placing on
the investigation of the alleged cover-up and protection of the "local
connection," insisting that former DAIA president Ruben Beraja was beyond
reproach and had been wrongfully charged in the investigation.
Subject
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Argentina: Amia Special
Prosecutor Ready To Announce Indictment Of
Amia Bombing
Suspect
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Origin
|
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Cable time
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Tue, 19 May 2009 22:45 UTC
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Classification
|
CONFIDENTIAL
|
1.
(C) Special Prosecutor Alberto Nisman called on the Ambassador
May 19 to notify us that the following day he would ask Judge Rodolfo
Canicoba-Corral to indict a new suspect in the 1994 bombing of the Argentine
Jewish Mutual Association (AMIA). Nisman described his
painstaking effort to establish the suspect's links to both the environs of the
AMIA
site, a mosque in Buenos Aires, and his links via cell phone calls to Iranian
diplomat and bomb plot suspect Mohsen Rabbani and a cell phone in the
Tri-Border Area registered in the name of "Marques."
(,,,)
4.
(SBU) Action request:
Nisman
said that he will be in Washington June 15-20 and would be available to visit
the Department of State or Department of Justice or other USG agencies for
briefings. Washington offices are asked to contact Poloff Ted Craig by email
(craigtj@state.gov) or phone (54 11-5777-4858) to arrange a meeting. WAYNE