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the new York times Americas

Argentine Prosecutor Urges Reopening of Case Against President BUENOS AIRES — An Argentine prosecutor asked an appellate court on Thursday to overturn a judge’s decision to dismiss allegations filed against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her political supporters by another prosecutor, Alberto Nisman, days before his mysterious death from a gunshot wound to the head. The prosecutor, Germán Moldes, said the investigation into Mrs. Kirchner, Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman and others should resume, according to the local news media. Mr. Nisman, whose death two months ago exposed deep rifts here, had accused Mrs. Kirchner of conspiring to shield Iranians from charges that they planned a deadly attack on a Jewish community center in 1994. Describing a complex web of back-channel negotiations, he said the government had sought trade benefits in return. The official investigation into Mr. Nisman’s death has not established whether he was killed or committed suicide. In an emphatic rebuke of Mr. Nisman’s complaint, which had been revived by a second prosecutor, Judge Daniel Rafecas ruled last month that there was no evidence to support the accusations against Mrs. Kirchner. Mr. Moldes said Thursday that Judge Rafecas had been “unusually hasty” in his deliberations, the local news media reported. He added that while judicial sluggishness was exasperating, precipitous decisions could “confuse the guilty with the innocent.” Previously, Gerardo Pollicita, the prosecutor who revived the case, said Judge Rafecas’s dismissal had been “premature” because he had not followed up on scores of suggested leads. Mr. Moldes said these leads should be pursued to eliminate any uncertainty regarding the case. Mr. Pollicita also said that Judge Rafecas had not sufficiently verified the authenticity of an email sent by the former secretary general of Interpol to Mr. Timerman, which said that the Argentine government had never lobbied to lift Interpol arrest warrants against the Iranians. The appellate court was also expected to receive written arguments from lawyers representing parties who supported Judge Rafecas’s decision to dismiss the case. It is unclear when the court will issue its ruling.

Americas |NYT Now

Alberto Nisman, Argentine Prosecutor, Was Killed, His Ex-Wife Says By JONATHAN GILBERTMARCH 5, 2015


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