20 April 2015
On January 14th, 2015, Alberto Nisman filed a complaint accusing President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and others of a cover-up operation. On January 18th, the special prosecutor for the AMIA died in his apartment in Puerto Madero.
Much of his complaint was based on wiretaps made by order of the trial judge, Rodolfo Canicoba Corral. The phone bugged by court order belonged to Jorge “Yussuf” Khalil, an Argentine Muslim with fluid contacts with Mohsen Rabbani, one of those accused by the Justice and suspected of having planned the attack on the AMIA in 1994.
Khalil’s telephone was bugged until January 20, after the death of Nisman and when they found out that this that line was being listened to by the Ministry of Intelligence, Judge Canicoba Corral annulled the “tap”.
Last March Infobae published all the wiretaps which Nisman had added as supporting documentation to the complaint. This article adds a further four audios obtained from sources linked to the investigation research revealing Khalil’s reaction on the day when he found out about Nisman’s presentation. The existence of the complaint was known before noon.
That same day Khalil made several communications. Many to members of his community and family members commenting what had happened.
That day he also spoke to two of those mentioned in Nisman’s complaint, Kirchner leader Luis D’Elia and the member of Quebracho Fernando Esteche. According to court investigators, one of the calls was made with Ruben Pascolini, one of D’Elía’s men and the Secretary of Access to Habitat in the Argentine government.
On January 14 at 12:20 Khalil called D’Elía and showed his surprise at the repercussions achieved by the news of Nisman’s presentation , and the Kirchner leader at that point tells him that he received from “Presidency” an order to “keep silent”.
Communication between Khalil and D’Elía
About 45 minutes later, at 13:05, Khalil calls Esteche and in that conversation the suggestion that the Islamic leader must keep quiet is repeated. Esteche also explains that there was going to be a meeting between those involved in the cause and the Secretary of Legal and Technical Affaris Carlos Zannini and the Intelligence Secretary Oscar Parrilli. In this communication reference is made to to Pascolini, responsible for putting together a meeting.
Communication between Khalil and Esteche
Just over an hour later Khalil contacts Esteche again and there the leader linked to Iran says: “We will act safely.” When Esteche asks him to be more precise says: “We’ll do something. we will, obviously legally, I reckon, right?”. Khalil names D’Elía and Pascolini as contacts for a possible “consensus meeting”. Esteche advises him that when he receives an order he should ask to meet with “everyone”.
New communication between Khalil and Esteche
About fifteen minutes after talking to Esteche, Khalil contacted someone called Pasco, whom researchers hypothesize is Pascolini. Khalil was seeking to meet with the government’s people and told his interlocutor: “..If something is agreed, if they call you and want to agree on something, of … Government House, we are going to be sitting down.”
Recordings from Khalil’s telephone after Nisman filed his complaint reveals that the leader with contacts in Iran was called to keep silent by the Government. And that he wanted to meet to “come to an agreement”. Khalil warns that if there is no meeting they would “go it alone” to “see what can be done.” To which his interlocutor replied: “No, no, no”.
Khalil calls a man named “Pasco”
With the death of Nisman these taps took over a month to be included in the case dismissed by Judge Daniel Rafecas, by two members of the Court of the Buenos Aires Federal Court, and which is now in Division I of the House of Criminal Appeal to see if the dismissal can be overturned.