As the Argentine government increases efforts to track down former spymaster Antonio Stiuso, it has warned the United States the perceived reluctance to help locate the fugitive is jeopardizing its relationship with the Latin American nation.
As reported in the Guardian, Argentina’s cabinet chief of staff, Anibal Fernández, voiced his government’s frustration over the U.S.’s failure to respond to eight formal requests regarding details on Stiuo’s whereabouts.
“We ask ourselves sometimes, ‘Is the United States ready to allow the bilateral relations between it and Argentina to worsen for a man they all say has no importance, no strategic value for the United States?’” Fernández said.
Argentina suspects Stiuso is hiding out in Miami, Florida.
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Stiuso fled Argentina after the mysterious death of prosecutor Alberto Nisman. The prosecutor was found dead on Jan. 18, just days after having accused President Cristina Fernández of trying to cover up her administration’s connection to a 1994 Iranian attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. The attack resulted in the deaths of 85 people.
The Argentine leader has claimed that Nisman’s death was organized by Stiuso in order to incriminate her.
Aside from the profundity of this accusation, Stiuso has also been accused of illegally importing electronic goods. The Wall Street Journal reports, Oscar Parilli, the head of the Intelligence Secretariat, accuses Stiuso of taking advantage of a special law that allows for the Intelligence Secretariat to import secret equipment without having to pay taxes.
Héctor Timerman, Argentina’s foreign minister, recently chided the U.S. over the issue of Stiuso.
“The lack of cooperation shown by Obama’s government is startling,” Timerman said.
“Stiuso must enjoy some degree of protection that has allowed him to live in hiding for so many months. He is surely being protected by his contacts in the US secret services."