Argentine spy at centre of Nisman case accused of smuggling

The plot surrounding the conspiracy-ridden death of Argentinian prosecutor Alberto Nisman thickens as Antonio Stiuso, the Argentine spy at the centre of the scandal was accused on Tuesday of importing tonnes of contraband merchandise during his final years as head of the country’s counterintelligence office. Stiuso was forced out of the SI intelligence service in December, weeks before Nisman accused President Cristina Fernandez of trying to cover up Iran’s alleged involvement in a deadly 1994 bombing. The government says Nisman, who was found shot dead on Jan. 18, was manipulated by Stiuso into leveling the accusation as a way of smearing Fernandez.

We have concluded that in 2013 and 2014, contraband imports were received totaling 94 tonnes. Much of this merchandise entered the country under the name Antonio Stiuso.

Oscar Parrilli, Argentinian National Intelligence Chief

Since Nisman’s death, initially labeled a suicide, suspicion has fallen on Kirchner’s government of orchestrating Nisman’s murder, and has called to question the integrity of the Argentine justice system to a boil. Judges have been assigned to look at the evidence against Fernandez and that against Stiuso, to make sure the allegations are not simply a case of smear and counter smear by warring factions in the murky world of Argentine intelligence. Nisman’s mysterious death has brought long-simmering questions about the integrity of the Argentine justice system to a boil, prompting the opposition to take to the streets to demand answers. State prosecutors joined opposition figures and tens of thousands of citizens in a march last week protesting what they describe as government meddling in the courts. Polls show that Fernandez, her image already dented by an ailing economy, has lost popularity due to the Nisman scandal. She is constitutionally barred from running for a third term in the October election.

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