Argentina’s Supreme Court is reviewing former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s conviction in the so-called ‘Vialidad’ corruption trial, with a decisive ruling that could define the opposition leader’s political future drawing near.
Fernández de Kirchner, 72, has begun campaigning ahead of the September elections in Buenos Aires Province. She is seeking to stand as a candidate for the provincial legislature, though the Supreme Court’s decision will determine whether she is eligible to run.
According to judicial sources quoted by the Noticias Argentinas news agency on Saturday, the country’s highest tribunal has begun reviewing the case files involving Fernández de Kirchner, who was convicted in 2022 of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the public administration.
She was sentenced to six years in prison and handed a lifetime ban from holding public office. Prosecutors have since requested that the prison term be increased to 12 years.
The veteran politician, who led Argentina from 2007 to 2015, denies the allegations, which centre on irregularities in the awarding of public works contracts during her presidency.
Prosecutors have also asked the Supreme Court to overturn her earlier acquittal on the charge of “unlawful association” and to convict her on that count as well.
There is no set deadline for a ruling.
The original verdict was issued by Federal Oral Tribunal No. 2 and later upheld by the Federal Chamber of Cassation. Fernández de Kirchner appealed to the Supreme Court on March 31 and is now awaiting its decision.
On Wednesday, Supreme Court justices rejected a motion from her legal team to recuse Justice Ricardo Lorenzetti from the case. Her lawyers argued that he lacked impartiality, citing past public statements and his involvement in earlier rulings. However, the justices found that the challenge was filed out of time and lacked sufficient legal basis.
Following that decision, the court – led by Chief Justice Horacio Rosatti – is now in a position to issue a final ruling on the Vialidad case, which could definitively uphold the sentence against Fernández de Kirchner.
If the conviction is confirmed, it would have immediate consequences for her political future and the wider electoral landscape. While she would likely qualify for house arrest due to her age, the lifetime ban from public office would disqualify her from the upcoming provincial vote.
In May, Argentina’s Senate rejected a proposed "Ficha Limpia" (“Clean Slate”) bill that sought to bar candidates with corruption convictions from standing for office. A Supreme Court ruling confirming her sentence would, however, remove her from the race and reshape the Peronist opposition ahead of both provincial and national elections.
In a television interview last Monday, Fernández de Kirchner confirmed her intention to run in the province’s Third Electoral Section – a Peronist stronghold that has traditionally backed her and the broader movement.
– TIMES/NA
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