Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner greets supporters as she leaves her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 23.
Rodrigo Abd / AP
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Rodrigo Abd / AP
Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner greets supporters as she leaves her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on August 23.
Rodrigo Abd / AP
Argentina’s vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was found guilty of corruption by a federal court on Tuesday in a case that dates back to her time as president.
A panel of three judges sentenced Kirchner to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from political office.
Prosecutors say she worked with others to defraud nearly $1 billion from fake contracts and bogus construction of 51 public works projects while she was president.
Kirchner served as president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015 and masterminded a political comeback in 2019. running for vice president with Alberto Fernandez.
Kirchner denied any wrongdoing and spoke shortly after the ruling, saying she was a target of judges, who she called the mafia running a parallel party that wanted to keep her out of office.
Kirchner will not be jailed while appealing the ruling, which could take years.
She is a divisive figure in Argentina, seen by her loyalists as a fighter for the poor. Others blamed her for the country’s continued economic problems, including inflation, which is expected to hit 100% by the end of the year.
