A court in Argentina has sentenced the country’s former president and current vice president, Cristina Kirchner, to six years in prison. In the corruption proceedings, the judges also banned Kirchner from holding public office for life. However, it could be years before a legally valid judgment is made, because the ex-president (2007-2015) can still appeal against the first-instance judgment.
Kirchner and her late husband, ex-president Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007), are said to have procured public contracts for a friendly contractor without a tender. According to the public prosecutor’s office, his company received 80 percent of all public road construction contracts in Kirchner’s home region of Santa Cruz.
Part of the excessive construction costs later flowed back to the couple. As the leader of a criminal organization, the current vice president stole around a billion US dollars from the state. The allegations relate to the Kirchners’ tenure at the head of state.