Arab Times

Argentina court reopens probe:

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An Argentine court on Thursday ordered a renewed investigat­ion into a prosecutor’s accusation that former President Cristina Fernandez covered up the alleged involvemen­t of Iranians in a 1994 attack on a Jewish community center.

The bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Associatio­n center in Buenos Aires killed 85 people and wounded hundreds. Iran has denied any connection with the attack and declined to turn over suspects in the case.

Argentina’s official Center of Judicial Informatio­n said the country’s top criminal tribunal had accepted a request by a coalition of Jewish associatio­ns to re-examine the charge made by prosecutor Alberto Nisman on Jan 14, 2015, against Fernandez, Foreign Minister Hector Timerman and other officials in her government. He alleged Fernandez reached a secret deal with Iran’s government to hide the role of several Iranian officials suspected in the bombing.

Nisman was found dead with a gunshot to the head four days later. Authoritie­s never determined if he was killed or took his own life.

Fernandez, president in 2007-2015, has denied wrongdoing, and she ridiculed the charge Thursday.

“I am now accused of covering up the AMIA attack that took place ... 22 and a half years ago! The only thing they have failed to do is to accuse me of Kennedy’s death,” she tweeted.

The left-of-center Fernandez blames the accusation on what she says is the bias of judges following the orders of her conservati­ve successor, President Mauricio Macri, who took office last December.

Ariel Cohen Sabban, president of the Jewish coalition, praised the court’s decision. (AP)

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