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Sismi colonel Antonio Nucera gives an on the record interview to Il Giornale, published today. In it, Nucera confirms that it was he who called Rocco Martino, but says that he was urged to do it by the 60 year old Italian lady who worked as a Sismi asset at the Niger embassy in Rome, known by her Sismi codename "La Signora." Nucera says La Signora was eager to make some money and was "fed up with Sismi for not using her any more as in the past." Nucera is quoted, "I thought that she might be interested in cooperating with Rocco." He adds, "It's like when you introduce a bricklayer to a friend who needs him to refurbish his house. I cannot take the blame if, at the end of it, the bricklayer screws everything up." In other words, according to Nucera, the whole Niger forgeries scandal was dreamed up by La Signora.
Update: The British paper, The Independent, has some more on the British role in the Niger claims, including a previously unreported interaction between Martino and the British embassy in Brussels. Correction to Update: A reader writes to inform me that L'Unita reported the other day about Martino's walk-in to the British embassy in Brussels. And Repubblica had reported on Martino selling the forgeries to the British as well, but reported the meeting had occurred in London, not Brussels. Much more analysis on the whole Niger forgeries case from the Left Coaster's eRiposte.
Posted by Laura at November 6, 2005 09:44 AM