AMIA ARREST WARRANTS COULD COME EARLIER THAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUENOS AIRES 002455 SIPDIS SIPDIS WHA FOR A/S SHANNON, DAS DUDDY, DMCCARTHY WHA/BSC FOR BARNES, FRIEDMAN, MOSS NEA/IR FOR HWOOSTER MADRID FOR DCM LLORENS S/CT FOR ARNOLD SIERRA NSC FOR JOSE CARDENAS FBI FOR CTD IRAN-HIZBALLAH UNIT AND OIO AMERICAS UNIT E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2016 TAGS: PTER KJUS PREL PGOV AR FBI SUBJECT: AMIA ARREST WARRANTS COULD COME EARLIER THAN ANTICIPATED REF: A. BUENOS AIRES 2437 ¶B. BUENOS AIRES 2411 ¶C. BUENOS AIRES 2092 ¶D. BUENOS AIRES 1612 Classified By: Charge d'affaires Michael Matera for reasons 1.4(a) and (d) ¶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. On a related note, Nisman discussed what he described as the obvious links between the AMIA attack and the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy. End Summary. ¶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). He noted that his team was continuing with its investigation and that there were still elements and leads they wanted more information on, particularly regarding movements through the Tri-Border Area. Nisman stated that he thought that Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral could issue his decision, i.e. ratify the prosecutors' resolution and issue arrest warrants for the eight indictees, as earlier as this Friday, November 3. Nisman said it was possible that the Judge's decision could be pushed back a few days, but was, in any case, imminent. Note: Once the Judge issues the warrants, he will instruct Argentina's Interpol representative to transmit the international capture notices, or "red notices," to Interpol. ¶3. (C) Comment: Nisman's news tracks with reports from other sources and recent press reports. If Canicoba Corral does issue the warrants on November 3, or early the following week, it will be a clear indication that the Casa Rosada has not tried to slow or halt the process, and, by not doing so, has given its tacit approval for the Judge to go forward. ¶4. (C) Comment Continued: Judge Canicoba Corral's quick handling of the prosecutors' report (if his decision is, in fact, imminent) fits with Embassy's information on the Judge, i.e. that he is not a "heavy lifter" and unlikely to seek significant revisions. LegAtt notes that it is unusual in Argentina for a federal penal judge to cede, or delegate, the entire investigation to the prosecutors, as did Canicoba Corral in the AMIA case. A likely reason for Canicoba Corral's hands-off approach was to insulate himself politically from any fallout in the event the investigation failed to produce new indictments. ¶5. (C) With events moving quicker than anticipated, Embassy can now more logically approach the GOA about the government's anticipated next steps and ways we might be able to coordinate outreach to other governments, and efforts in regional and international fora to bring attention to the warrants and pressure to bear on Iran and Hezbollah. ¶6. (C) On a related issue, CDA asked Nisman if the investigation had provided any insight into the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy. Nisman said it was clear to him that the same network and modus operandi (likely with different personnel) used in the AMIA attack had been used in the Embassy attack. Nisman said that the Supreme Court (which has responsibility for investigating the attack because the target was a foreign Embassy) could delegate the investigation to the Prosecutor General, who in turn, could assign it to the now-experienced AMIA Special Prosecutors Unit. Nisman said this would be a logical step and would jump-start the moribund investigation. ¶7. (U) Additional Biographic information on Judge Rodolfo Canicoba Corral: Canicoba Corral was born July 29, 1945 in the Federal Capital. He is married with four children and has a law degree from the University of Buenos Aires. He is a career judicial employee and was appointed a Judge in the Federal No.6 Criminal and Correctional Court in the Federal Capital in 1993. He served briefly in 1992 as a Cabinet Advisor for the Secretary of Justice in the Ministry of Justice. Prior to entering the judicial sector, Canicoba Corral practiced private law in the Province of Buenos Aires and has taught criminal law and family law at the University of Buenos Aires. He has authored three books on law related issues. MATERA