The former “strong woman” of Argentina, Cristina Fernández, widow of Kirchner (CFK), former president for two terms and former vice-president for one, dreams of becoming leader of the political opposition to the current president of the country, Javier Milei, a self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist. But in reality, it’s getting more and more difficult.
The prison sentence confirmed yesterday Wednesday in court distances him from this desire and from his candidacy for the 2025 legislative elections, and does not help him reverse his bad image in the opinion polls. They detect around 60% negative reviews.
The hardest legal blow was the confirmation of the six-year prison sentence for the offense of “fraudulent management” of public money. The judgment was handed down by the Criminal Cassation Chamber and, in addition, it prevents him for life from re-entering the public service.
President Milei tried to capitalize on his opponent’s setback by posting on the social network “We can say without a doubt that Cristina Kirchner is guilty of acts of corruption.”
In the ultra-polarized Argentine society and very divided since the middle of the 20th century between Peronists and anti-Peronists, many of the latter treat the former president as a “chorra” (thief) and their greatest desire is to see her in a striped suit and locked behind bars.
But CFK did not go to prison because he will appeal the sentence to the Supreme Court. Only when the highest court in the land has ruled, and if it confirms everything, will he have to go to prison, or if you do not benefit from the benefit of house arrest for being over 70 years old. “When you’re a mina, when you’re a woman, they make everything 20 times more difficult for you. And if they punish me for something, it’s not just for everything I’ve done, but because I’m also a woman and they can’t stand arguing with a woman and she has reason”, she reacted during an interview with women.
And she even challenged the men in robes who were condemning her, pointing out that “as they can’t hit…have you seen that when (men) argue and one is right…boom!” pineapple! (rotation)? Well, since they can’t give me the pineapple, they do what they did today.
In addition to denying the accusations and proclaiming himself innocent, he accuses the magistrates of exercising right (judicial war): “What is the real objective that they (judges) have? My ban from holding public office for life. In other words, purely and simply, a lifetime ban.
CFK compared itself to the president of Brazil, Inácio Lula da Silvawho was convicted of alleged corruption and spent 580 days in prison, but was ultimately acquitted and reinstated to the presidency. However, it differs in that “they want me,” he said, “in prison or dead.”
In order to be on par with other leaders who also suffered his fate, he also spoke of “Evo Moralesdismissed; Rafael Correaexile; and now Donald Trump (…) win the American elections despite more than 30 prosecutions against him, several convictions and an attempted murder in the middle of the electoral campaign.”
The Spanish
In 2022, she miraculously saved her life and emerged unharmed from a murder attempt that occurred in front of her apartment in the Recoleta neighborhood. Fernando Sabag Montielan ultra-rightist, twice pulled the trigger of a gun pointed 10 centimeters from his face, but the gun was poorly loaded and did not fire.
The confirmation of the sentence was the corollary of the trial called Road case which lasted five years. The court found proven the crime of “fraudulent management” of funds intended for public works in Santa Cruz, the province of Patagonia where the Kirchners come from. For the judges, when he was president of Argentina, he directed the calls for tenders in favor of the company Austral Construcciones, of Lázaro Báeza very good friend of the Kirchners. During the trial, 51 offers attributed to Báez were examined, who was also sentenced to six years in prison.
It was always suspected that Báez was a leader of the Kirchners. He began his business career in 2003 when they arrived at Casa Rosada. He became a multimillionaire to the point that in 2021 he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for money laundering, worth $55 million under the presidency of the CFK.
The public prosecutor had indicated that the piloting maneuvers in favor of Austral Construcciones had caused losses to the State of approximately 1,000 million dollars. It is for this reason that he requested a double penalty for CFK: 12 years in prison and the confiscation of the money of all those prosecuted. But the judges of the Chamber of Cassation did not grant the prosecutor’s request to toughen the sentences and chose to maintain those pronounced by the court of first instance, in December 2022. Also for the other defendants, including himself .
Politically crushed by her judicial defeat and the bad image among citizens, The CFK took refuge in the Justicialist Party (Peronist). A few days ago he managed to access the presidency of the party to, as he said, “redress and put order in Peronism and be an alternative government again”.
So far, the Peronist barons have shown no sign of recognizing his supposed leadership. AND Axel Kicillofgovernor of the province of Buenos Aires and former Minister of Economy in his government, distances himself from the CFK and, without its approval, is moving towards a possible candidacy for the 2027 presidential election.
