Supreme Court of Argentina orders oral trial against Cristina Fernández for pact with Iran

The former president of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (2007-2015) will have to face an oral trial for the signing of a judicial cooperation agreement with Iran in 2013 supposedly promoted to clarify the attack against a Jewish mutual in Buenos Aires in 1994, but which according to Argentine justice actually aimed to free Tehran of blame.

By unanimous ruling of its four members, the highest court on Thursday dismissed an extraordinary appeal that Fernández de Kirchner had presented after the Chamber of Criminal Cassation – the highest criminal court in Argentina – had revoked his dismissal issued in a previous judicial instance.

“This oral and public debate will be extremely essential in order for Argentine society to finally know whether or not there was an attempt to cover up those indicated as responsible for the attack” against the headquarters of the Association of Argentine Israeli Mutual Funds (AMIA) on July 18 of 1994, which ended the lives of 85 people and left more than 300 injured, said in a statement the Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations (DAIA), a representative entity of the Argentine Jewish community and plaintiff in the case.

The Argentine justice system blamed the terrorist group Hezbollah and Iran as its ideologue for the attack. Tehran has always denied the charges. In 2013, Argentina signed a judicial cooperation agreement with Iran that, among other points, included the possibility of an Argentine judge interrogating suspects.

The pact was approved by the Argentine Congress, but never came into force because the Iranian parliament did not ratify it.

In 2015, federal prosecutor Alberto Nisman began an investigation against Fernández de Kirchner and other officials of his government for cover-up since, according to his hypothesis, the hidden objective of the memorandum was to get Interpol to cancel the red alerts against the Iranian suspects. exchange of some type of economic benefit for the South American country.

Nisman was found dead, shot in the head, in January of that year, one day before appearing before a congressional committee to exhibit evidence in the case. For justice, Nisman was murdered. There are no arrests in the case.

In 2021, an oral court that was supposed to try Fernández de Kirchner dismissed all the accused due to the lack of a crime. In September of this year, the Federal Court of Cassation annulled that and now the former president will be tried, although the date for the start of the trial has not yet been set.

Fernández de Kirchner already carries a sentence of six years in prison and perpetual disqualification from holding public office for fraudulent administration.

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