Osvaldo Raffo, the Argentinian pathologist who was the only leading medical examiner to suggest foul play was involved in the death of federal prosecutor and corruption crusader Alberto Nisman in 2015, took his own life this week.
Raffo, 88, had been battling an illness and was found at home on Monday. He left a note saying "I can't handle the pain" and then shot himself, local reports said. No foul play is suspected.
Nisman was found dead in 2015 just hours before he was due to appear in Congress to present evidence that then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner plotted to whitewash Iran's involvement in the bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires 25 years ago.
Raffo, as a highly respected pathologist in Argentina, had significant sway on public opinion when he stated that Nisman's death was no accident or suicide. This cast doubt on the official version of events undermined Kirchner and contributed heavily to a court ruling that Nisman was indeed murdered.
Kirchner, now a senator, was indicted for treason over Nisman's allegations. Prosecutors allege that she worked behind the scenes to clear Iran of the blame for the AMIA attack, which killed 85 people, in an effort to normalize relations and clinch a 2013 grain-for-oil deal with Tehran.
