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Int'l Business Times
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Argentine Ex-president Fernandez Ordered To Stand Trial For Graft
An Argentine judge on Thursday ordered ex-president Alberto Fernandez to stand trial for alleged corruption relating to insurance policies taken out by government departments during his 2019-2023 term. Fernandez will be prosecuted for "negotiations incompatible with the exercise of public office," according to Judge Sebastian Casanello's decision, published in Argentine media and confirmed by defense lawyer Mariana Barbitta. Barbitta called it "an arbitrary, unfounded decision" that her team would appeal. The 66-year-old stands accused of fraudulent administration over his government's use of brokers -- one of whom allegedly had ties to his office -- to contract insurance policies that could have been negotiated directly. The main broker was allegedly the husband of Fernandez's personal secretary. The former president was aware of the arrangement, the judge's brief said. Questioned by Casanello last Friday, Fernandez denied any wrongdoing. But the judge found the former president had "created and enabled a permissive environment" that allowed his close circle to profit, Argentine daily newspaper The Nation reported the ruling as saying. The former secretary, her husband and some 30 others will also face trial in the case. Fernandez did not seek reelection after serving a single term, handing the keys of the presidential palace to self-described "anarcho-capitalist" President Javier Milei in December 2023. The corruption allegations emerged when a court ordered an examination of his secretary's phone while investigating assault claims made against Fernandez by his ex-partner Fabiola Yanez. Yanez filed a complaint accusing Fernandez of having beaten her during their relationship, which ended after he left office. He faces a separate trial on charges of domestic abuse. The graft case involves policies taken out with Nacion Seguros, the insurance arm of state-owned Banco Nacion, which Fernandez chose to cover government departments against various types of risks. Casanello ordered a freeze on about $11 million of Fernandez's assets, according to Thursday's ruling. Fernandez's leftist Peronist movement, which dominated Argentine politics for most of the country's post-war history, has been dogged by allegations of corruption. Ex-president Cristina Kirchner, another senior Peronist, is serving a six-year sentence under house arrest after being convicted of fraud involving public works contracts awarded during her two terms.
Straits Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Argentina's ex-President Kirchner, under house arrest, plots political fight-back
FILE PHOTO: People paint outside Argentina's former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's house after an Argentine judge approved her request to serve out her six-year prison sentence for corruption at home, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Pedro Lazaro Fernandez/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Supporters of Argentina's former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner gather outside of her house, after an Argentine judge approved her request to serve out her six-year prison sentence for corruption at home, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 17, 2025. REUTERS/Pedro Lazaro Fernandez/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Former Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner gestures from the balcony of her home after Argentina's Supreme Court upheld her guilty verdict for defrauding the state, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 13, 2025. REUTERS/Mariana Nedelcu/File Photo BUENOS AIRES - On a Buenos Aires residential street, two protesters painted a telling image in colorful strokes: a portrait of a lone woman on her balcony overlooking a mass of people below. The figure was one of Argentina's most prominent politicians in the last two decades - leading opposition leader and former first lady and two-time president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who was put under house arrest last week in a six-year sentence for corruption. It means the end of a political career - at least formally - for the 72-year-old, a divisive populist whose big government model is now being dismantled by the "chainsaw" austerity of libertarian President Javier Milei. The sentence also bans Kirchner, who had announced plans to run for Buenos Aires province's legislature, from public office. That second-floor balcony - the one place from which Kirchner can now rally her base due to her city apartment lockdown - is becoming a focal point for supporters on the Peronist left, with her detention putting a spotlight back on her as a symbol of resistance to Milei. "It gives Cristina's leadership political clout that she was losing," said Camila Perochena, a historian at the Universidad Torcuato Di Tella in Buenos Aires. "This gives her extra life." Kirchner's house arrest has brought tens of thousands of protesters into the streets of Buenos Aires in recent days, and injected much-needed energy into her movement, which had been battling internal divisions and disillusionment, especially since losing the 2023 presidential election to Milei. "This puts her right in the center of the political stage," Juan Grabois, a prominent leftist social leader and a close ally of Kirchner, told Reuters. 'WE WILL RETURN' At least in the short term, experts said the corruption sentence linked to roadway contracts would help Kirchner, though longer-term it remains to be seen if she can effectively wield influence without being able to attend rallies and events in person. Last Wednesday, Kirchner was in her home serving house arrest while in the central Plaza de Mayo, her voice boomed from huge loudspeakers before crowds that had marched in downtown Buenos Aires. "We will return, and what's more we will return with more wisdom, more unity, more strength," she told supporters in a pre-recorded message. "From wherever I am, from whatever trench, I will do everything I can to be there with you." Listening in the Plaza was Andrea Albarracin, 35, a member of Kirchner's Peronist Justicialista Party. "I don't hear a Cristina who has been defeated," she said. Maria Teresa Garcia, secretary general of the party, told Reuters that Kirchner would continue to lead because "there isn't another person who can raise her voice like Cristina." 'THEY ARE COMING FOR CRISTINA' Many who gathered in the last few days outside of Kirchner's home repeated her claims that her detention - after an original 2022 sentence when she was vice president was upheld by the Supreme Court this month - was an act of political revenge by the right-wing. "They're coming for Cristina because she represents and epitomizes everything the concentrated powers of this country detest," said supporter Christopher Loyola, who backed the Peronists' big state spending on education, health and science. That big government focus helped Argentina have one of the strongest social safety nets in the region and boosted the public sector, but money printing to sustain it was partly to blame for years of soaring inflation and deep deficits. The night that Kirchner's sentence was upheld, Loyola waited in the cold to show his backing for Kirchner, who while divisive still has some 30% popular support, according to local polls, that gives her influence over the wider Peronist bloc. Last week, large banners outside Kirchner's apartment said "Always with Cristina." Vendors sold T-shirts with Kirchner's face. Supporters danced as a brass band played "Muchachos," Argentina's last soccer World Cup anthem. Yamila Perdomo, 41, a tour guide who had an Argentine flag draped on her back, had caught a glimpse of Kirchner on her balcony waving to supporters. "If this can happen to the most powerful woman in our country, imagine what guarantees regular citizens have," said Perdomo. "We are here in defense of democracy." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Miami Herald
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Cristina Fernández's conviction triggers Peronist reassessment
June 19 (UPI) -- In her first public appearance since her arrest, former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner addressed supporters in a recorded message Wednesday at a rally in Buenos Aires, where crowds gathered to proclaim her innocence. "At this stage, we need to get organized to clarify what the real problem is in our country. We will come back with more wisdom, more unity, and more strength," the former president said in the recording. Fernández was sentenced to six years of house arrest for defrauding the state of an estimated $500 million. Her arrest has, for now, unified Peronist factions around her image and message of resistance. Even factions within Kirchnerist Peronism that previously opposed her have been pushed to rally behind Fernández's narrative, in which she describes herself as "banned" and "imprisoned for standing up to the powerful." But that grassroots momentum faces growing pressure from Argentina's worsening economic crisis and a divided Peronist movement still struggling to form a unified electoral strategy. The first major test will come in September's Buenos Aires elections, followed by nationwide legislative races in October, where the party will need to shift from protest to political competition. For now, no clear leader has emerged to unite the Peronist movement. Meanwhile, a more radical, left-leaning faction is gaining ground under La Cámpora, a group led by former President Fernández's son, Máximo Kirchner. Labor unions under the General Confederation of Labor, or CGT -- long aligned with Peronism -- have expressed solidarity with Fernández. The CGT has encouraged members to mobilize but left participation to individual discretion. It remains unclear whether Peronist governors will continue to follow Fernández's lead --especially in provinces where President Javier Milei and his party, La Libertad Avanza, have gained significant ground. "The ruling against Cristina comes at a moment when Peronism is fragmented, clinging to outdated narratives and struggling to connect with the public's current demands," political analyst Juan Negri said in an interview with Infobae. "People today are more worried about making ends meet than about epic stories from the past." According to polling firm Opinaia, 69% of Argentines familiar with the Supreme Court ruling said they believe the decision was fair. Just 25% see Fernández as either innocent or the target of a political setup. The court ordered all those convicted in the so-called "Vialidad case," including Fernández, to repay funds embezzled through fraudulent administration. The original ruling estimated losses to the state at about $500 million. Judicial authorities are now updating that figure and seeking to recover the funds from Fernández's assets and those of her co-defendants. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
UPI
19-06-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Cristina Fernández's conviction triggers Peronist reassessment
1 of 3 | Argentina's former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (pictured at the inauguration of Pope Francis at St Peter's Square at the Vatican in March), was sentenced to six years of house arrest for defrauding the state of an estimated $500 million. File Photo by Stefano Spaziani/UPI | License Photo June 19 (UPI) -- In her first public appearance since her arrest, former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner addressed supporters in a recorded message Wednesday at a rally in Buenos Aires, where crowds gathered to proclaim her innocence. "At this stage, we need to get organized to clarify what the real problem is in our country. We will come back with more wisdom, more unity, and more strength," the former president said in the recording. Fernández was sentenced to six years of house arrest for defrauding the state of an estimated $500 million. Her arrest has, for now, unified Peronist factions around her image and message of resistance. Even factions within Kirchnerist Peronism that previously opposed her have been pushed to rally behind Fernández's narrative, in which she describes herself as "banned" and "imprisoned for standing up to the powerful." But that grassroots momentum faces growing pressure from Argentina's worsening economic crisis and a divided Peronist movement still struggling to form a unified electoral strategy. The first major test will come in September's Buenos Aires elections, followed by nationwide legislative races in October, where the party will need to shift from protest to political competition. For now, no clear leader has emerged to unite the Peronist movement. Meanwhile, a more radical, left-leaning faction is gaining ground under La Cámpora, a group led by former President Fernández's son, Máximo Kirchner. Labor unions under the General Confederation of Labor, or CGT -- long aligned with Peronism -- have expressed solidarity with Fernández. The CGT has encouraged members to mobilize but left participation to individual discretion. It remains unclear whether Peronist governors will continue to follow Fernández's lead --especially in provinces where President Javier Milei and his party, La Libertad Avanza, have gained significant ground. "The ruling against Cristina comes at a moment when Peronism is fragmented, clinging to outdated narratives and struggling to connect with the public's current demands," political analyst Juan Negri said in an interview with Infobae. "People today are more worried about making ends meet than about epic stories from the past." According to polling firm Opinaia, 69% of Argentines familiar with the Supreme Court ruling said they believe the decision was fair. Just 25% see Fernández as either innocent or the target of a political setup. The court ordered all those convicted in the so-called "Vialidad case," including Fernández, to repay funds embezzled through fraudulent administration. The original ruling estimated losses to the state at about $500 million. Judicial authorities are now updating that figure and seeking to recover the funds from Fernández's assets and those of her co-defendants.
Eyewitness News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Argentine ex-president Kirchner begins six-year term under house arrest
BUENOS AIRES - Argentina's ex-president Cristina Kirchner began serving a six-year fraud sentence under house arrest on Tuesday, after a judge granted her request to avoid prison in a case that dramatically ended her two-decade career. The Supreme Court last week upheld the 72-year-old's conviction for "fraudulent administration" while president, along with her lifelong ban on holding public office. Since the ruling, supporters of the polarizing left-winger, who has led opposition to President Javier Milei's austerity policies, had been keeping vigil outside her home in Buenos Aires, raising fears of clashes with security forces if she were jailed. Her left-wing Peronist movement and trade unions had called for major solidarity demonstrations on Wednesday. While some protests were still expected the risk of unrest appeared diminished after a federal court ruled Kirchner could serve her sentence at home with an electronic surveillance device. The court added that Kirchner's sentence began Tuesday and ordered that she "refrain from any behavior that could disturb the peace of the neighborhood and/or disturb the peaceful coexistence of its residents." She will be allowed limited visits, principally from family members, lawyers and doctors. Her legal team welcomed the decision to spare her the ignominy of being thrown behind bars. "THE LAW PREVAILED. THE PEOPLE PREVAILED," one of Kirchner's lawyers, Gregorio Dalbon, reacted on X. CLAIMS OF JUDICIAL BIAS Kirchner rose to prominence as part of a political power couple with her late husband Nestor Kirchner, who preceded her as president. After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, she served as vice president from 2019 to 2023 in the last center-left administration before Javier Milei took power. Revered by the left, reviled by the right, she claimed the case against her was a political plot to end her career and unravel her legacy of economic and protectionism and generous social programs. Her supporters pointed to evidence of close ties between some of the judges who convicted her in lower courts and one of her arch-foes, former center-right president Mauricio Macri. Many Argentines, however, believed her conviction over the awarding of roads works tenders to one of her business associates was just. She is the second ex-leader since Argentina's transition from dictatorship to democracy in 1983 to be sentenced to prison after Carlos Saul Menem, convicted of weapons trafficking. Menem never served jail time because he had immunity as a senator.
