Argentina’s Supreme Court upholds corruption conviction against former President Kirchner

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Argentina's Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the corruption conviction of former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

In a unanimous decision, the three judges of the nation's highest court rejected an appeal filed by her defense, thereby affirming a six-year prison sentence and lifetime ban from public office for embezzlement related to public works contracts.

On Tuesday afternoon, the former center-left president, who served as president from 2007 to 2015 and later as vice president under President Alberto Fernandez from 2019 to 2023, visited the headquarters of the Justicialist Party, known as the Peronist party, which she chairs, in anticipation of the ruling by the Supreme Court.

Kirchner was initially sentenced in 2022 to six years in prison and perpetual political disqualification for corruption. However, she has remained free pending the Supreme Court's review of her appeal.

As she is over 70 years old, Kirchner is eligible to request house arrest. If granted, she could serve her sentence either in Buenos Aires or in her home province of Santa Cruz.

Kirchner's defense team has consistently rejected the legitimacy of the proceedings, denouncing them as a "plot" orchestrated by "sectors of the judiciary."

The confirmation of the conviction carries direct consequences for Argentina's electoral landscape, as Kirchner represents the main opposition figure to President Javier Milei's ultra-liberal government.

President Milei shared his first reaction after learning of the Supreme Court's ruling against Kirchner.

"Justice. The end," he posted on his X account from Israel.

Kirchner is the first former president of Argentina to be convicted.

Former President Carlos Menem died before serving a seven-year prison sentence in the case of illegal arms sales to Ecuador and Croatia and he only served around six months of pretrial detention in 2001.