Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Gov’t calls to determine motive behind AMIA prosecutor's death

Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich ratified the government’s commitment to solving the case of the death of AMIA special prosecutor Alberto Nisman and highlighted the importance of “determining the motive” behind his death.

“It is absolutely essential to ask ourselves several questions: Why did the prosecutor ask for a gun on Saturday?; was he pressured or threatened in any way?; were those threats from current, former or foreign intelligence agents?; why did he interrupt his trip?,” the chief of ministers said in his daily press briefing at the government house.

“If there was pressure or extorsion, it is necessary to investigate until the last consequences. It is necessary to determine why he did this,” Capitanich added.

The official pointed out president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s decision “to guarantee the State’s institutional support” to shed light on the circumstances that led to Nisman’s death. He hailed the government’s order to declassify data relating to intelligence personnel implicated in the wiretaps related to the 1994 AMIA bombing investigation, announced yesterday.

Capitanich said that the funds of the AMIA investigation special unit, headed by Nisman, had been increased from four million pesos to over 31 millions during the Kirchnerite administration.

The official also rejected the accusations made by prosecutor Nisman last week against the President over an alleged cover-up of the attack against the Jewish Community Centre involving the highest members of the government. “The alleged evidence was inconsistent,” he stated.