Argentina’s vice president given 6-year prison sentence on graft charges

By Bala Chambers

BUENOS AIRES (AA) - A federal court in Argentina sentenced Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to six years in prison Tuesday and banned her from holding public office.

Fernandez de Kirchner was found guilty of fraud by a three-judge panel over the awarding of public works contracts in the southern province of Santa Cruz.

Judge Jorge Gorini delivered the verdict via videoconference in the presence of two other judges, Rodrigo Gimenez Uriburu and Andres Basso.

Gorini said an "extraordinarily fraudulent maneuver took place" in reference to the sentencing, which took three years to reach.

The judges will have 40 business days to make their full arguments known to the public, according to local news agency Noticias Argentinas.

Fernandez de Kirchner will face no immediate consequences as the sentence will need to be upheld by the country's Supreme Court.

According to the verdict, Fernandez de Kirchner is barred from holding public office but as head of the Senate and a legislator is protected from prosecution.​​​​​​​

Fernandez de Kirchner learned of her sentence from her office at the Senate.

In the past, the vice president alleged that she has been targeted by her political opponents, describing the case against her as "lawfare."

Last Tuesday, she characterized a court case against her as a "firing squad," insisting that the sentence against her was "already written."

Federal prosecutors accused Fernandez de Kirchner of awarding fraudulent and overpriced public works contracts in Santa Cruz during her two-term tenure as president from 2007-2015 and have been pushing for a 12-year prison sentence and lifetime ban from holding public office.

Many of the contracts allegedly benefitted close allies of the Kirchner family, with some already convicted of corruption.