Casa Rosada expects Fernández de Kirchner's arrest to be ‘respectful’

Following the conviction of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her imminent arrest, the Casa Rosada has pledged a “respectful” process and made clear they intend to avoid “putting on a show.”

The widely circulated image of former vice-president Amado Boudou handcuffed, in pyjamas, and barefoot, after his 2017 arrest at his apartment in Puerto Madero serves as an example of precisely what the La Libertad Avanza government wants to avoid replicating.

“There won’t be a humiliating photo,” a government source told the Noticias Argentinas news agency in the corridors of Balcarce 50, referring to the incident. “That’s what Macrismo did,” they added.

Another senior figure with access to the President’s Office said the process would be “handled with utmost care.”

Within the Executive branch, there is a clear sense of discomfort surrounding the Supreme Court ruling delivered on Tuesday. Officials are treading carefully, sticking to the agreed narrative that this is a strictly legal matter, not a political one.

While the Federal Oral Court No. 2 (TOF2), presided over by Judge Jorge Gorini, must still determine the exact location where the former president will present herself, the National Security Ministry, led by Patricia Bullrich, has also indicated it is involved in ongoing discussions.

For the time being, Judge Gorini has ruled that Fernández de Kirchner has five working days to appear before the Comodoro Py courts. If the court denies her legal team’s request for home detention, there remains a remote possibility that she may have to be held in a federal facility.

The former president’s lawyers Carlos Alberto Beraldi and Ary Rubén Llernovoy have submitted a request to the court seeking permission for Fernández de Kirchner to serve her six-year sentence at her residence on Calle San José and avoid a police holding facility.

They further argue that the necessary conditions of isolation and permanent surveillance could only be guaranteed in the privacy of her home. They requested she be allowed to serve her sentence without the use of an electronic ankle monitor, citing that she will have 24-hour security on site.

Defence lawyer Gregorio Dalbón says that the Security Ministry has no power over the decision, which lies solely with Federal Oral Court No. 2 and must ultimately go through another judge. “The Security Ministry has no authority in the matter. They’re claiming it does because it’s yet another stunt by Bullrich,” he stated.

The arrest of a former president – especially one who survived an assassination attempt – disrupts all standard protocols. Dalbón believes, therefore, that house arrest must be granted at her residence.

– TIMES/NA