'It is a judicial mafia.' Argentine VP condemns prison sentence over corruption case

Record ID: 1700955

  • Title: 'It is a judicial mafia.' Argentine VP condemns prison sentence over corruption case
  • Date: 6th December 2022
  • Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (FILE - MAY 21, 2019) (REUTERS) COURT SESSION FORMER PLANNING MINISTER JULIO DE VIDO IN COURT VARIOUS OF FERNANDEZ ALLY, BUSINESSMAN LAZARO BAEZ, DURING SESSION VIDO AND BAEZ DURING COURT SESSION
  • Embargoed: 20th December 2022 22:52
  • Keywords: Argentina VP Cristina Fernandez corruption court decision crime politics
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
  • City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
  • Country: Argentina
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions,South America / Central America
  • Reuters ID: LVA004495506122022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Argentina's Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner denounced on Tuesday (December 6) that the six-year prison sentence for alleged corruption against her reveals that a "judicial mafia" operates in the South American country.
    An Argentine court sentenced Fernandez de Kirchner to six years in jail and disqualified her from holding public office in a high-profile corruption case on Tuesday.
    "It is a parallel state and mafia, judicial mafia," Fernandez de Kirchner said in a live video on her YouTube channel after the sentencing.
    She suggested - though didn't say outright - that she would appeal the verdict, adding that the real impact would come from being disqualified for elected office.
    "In 2023 I will not be a candidate for anything, I will no longer have privileges," she said, adding she would step down when the current government term ends in December next year. "My name is not going to be on any ballot."
    The powerful vice president, who has temporary immunity due to her current role, will not face immediate prison time and is expected to appeal the sentence, with the case likely to spend years winding through higher courts.
    Technically, she could run for office while the appeals are pending, but she said on Tuesday that she "would not be a candidate for anything" in next year's general election.
    Fernandez de Kirchner, who served as president for two terms between 2007 and 2015 and commands rock-star crowds of supporters, faced charges of alleged corruption in the awarding of public works during her presidency. She has denied the allegations and called the court a "firing squad."
    In a livestreamed sentencing, judges from Federal Court 2 in Buenos Aires city found Fernandez de Kirchner guilty as the "criminally responsible author of the crime of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the public administration."
    The court acquitted her on another count of "illicit association."
    Prosecutors had alleged that public works contracts were handed to construction magnate and ally Lazaro Baez, who channeled money back to Fernandez de Kirchner and late husband Nestor Kirchner, also a former president. Defenders of the vice president maintain she is a victim of judicial persecution.
    Argentina is on edge after a long economic crisis and inflation heading toward 100%. Supporters of Fernandez de Kirchner gathered in the streets after she survived an assassination attempt this year.
    The ruling Peronist government of President Alberto Fernandez is facing a tough battle to fend off a challenge from the conservative opposition in the 2023 election.
    (Production: Horacio Soria, Liamar Ramos)
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