Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina’s current Vice President, and former President face a 12-year prison sentence if found guilty in a corruption case involving public works.
On Monday, August 22, 2022, Prosecutor Diego Luciani charged CFK with allegedly defrauding the state and participating in a scheme involving the diversion of public funds during her two years as president between 2007 and 2015.
Luciani referred to the case as “the greatest corruption maneuver in the country’s history,” and he also requested the court for a “special life disqualification” that would prevent Kirchner from ever running for public office again.
CFK has maintained her rejection of the charges since her testimony in court in 2019. The Vice President declared on Twitter shortly after the last session that she was facing a “media and legal firing squad,” not a constitutional court.
She further claimed that the prosecution violated the “open notion of defense in court” by charging her with crimes she had never been charged with before.
An investigation of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s charges
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina’s Vice President, is on trial with 12 others for allegedly ‘defrauding the state’ and ‘diverting public funds during her 2007-2015 reign.’
The trial began in 2019 as part of an investigation into whether CFK and her staff preferred the businesses of businessman Lazaro Baez for scores of public projects in Patagonia’s southern region.
The majority of these projects, the majority of which belonged to Baez, were later revealed to be unfinished or had high bids. Baez, a Kirchner family supporter, was later convicted of corruption.
During Monday’s hearing, Prosecutor Diego Luciani stated that the ultimate victim of the officials’ alleged crimes was the state. Luciani grumbled:
“At least 12 folks were participating in the scam.” Only the concerted activity of all authorities, in coordination with Lazaro Baez, permitted the strategy to succeed. These wrongdoings have hurt the state.”
The prosecutor then charged CFK with “putting personal gain ahead of public interest” and “defrauding society” by using her political position.
He stated,
“Cristina Fernandez [de Kircher] had the highest position and used her abilities and authority to get the greatest gain from this maneuver.”
Luciani called the scheme “systematic acts of corruption,” and said it was “supported and sustained by the country’s leading political leaders.”
He went on to say that the initiative “washed away all the requirements of public procurement” and “seriously impacted the state’s finances.”
The prosecutor went on to accuse Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of being the “head” of the “illicit organization” and of overseeing the system that ensured Baez received the public works contracts.
Prosecutor Sergio Mola went on to argue that CFK could not have been unaware of the fraudulent behavior that was going on under her presidency. Mola went on to say:
“There were persistent abnormalities in 51 tenders during a 12-year period.” The photographic evidence clearly demonstrates the illegal maneuvers. It’s difficult to imagine Cristina Fernandez [de Kirchner] was completely oblivious of what was going on in her office.”
Following the hearing, CFK took to Twitter to argue that the prosecution had violated the “principle of defense” by raising previously unmentioned issues. Her tweet read:
“[The prosecution] brought points in its indictment that had never been posed before, in flagrant violation of the idea of defense at trial.”
Gregorio Dalbon, CFK’s lawyer, denied the Vice President’s claims and stated that the defense is pursuing the “right to a valid defense at trial.” He stated,
“Prosecutors Luciani and Mola are going above and beyond the rule of law in order to create a media narrative in which society believes Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was the leader of an unlawful group to handle public works.”
The former President also stated that she was never allowed to testify on the new aspects of the case and that she would continue to defend herself on social media.
With 13 individuals in custody and the prosecution’s case resting, the defense team now has 10 working days to present their case. A decision in the case is likely by the end of the year, however, Kirchner is expected to appeal if she is found guilty.
The Supreme Court must ratify the verdict for the Vice President’s sentence to be carried out. In the meantime, even if convicted, CFK will be allowed to run for president in 2023.
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