Article content

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — More than 21 years after a bomb ripped through a Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires, ex-President Carlos Menem, a former top judge and several other officials went on trial Thursday for allegedly derailing the investigation into Argentina’s worst terrorist attack.

On a day of heavy rain, several of the 13 men charged in the cover up were ushered into the court and listened to the judges run down the charges. Menem, president between 1989 and 1999, was absent.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Argentine ex-president, 12 others on trial for alleged coverup over 1994 Jewish centre bombing Back to video

Omar Daer, one of Menem’s lawyers, said his client decided not to attend because of health problems, including diabetes, hypertension and arthritis.

Rodrigo Borda, a lawyer for many families of the bombing victims, said there would be times when the now 85-year-old Menem would be obligated to appear, and would be jailed if he did not show up.

“The charges are serious crimes,” he said.

Prosecutors have accused Iranian officials of being behind the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association, which caused the organization’s main building to collapse, killing 85 and leaving hundreds more injured amid the rubble. But no one has been convicted in the attack, which many Argentines believe has come to symbolize an inept and corrupt justice system that operates at the whims of politicians and can be bought off.