Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández Faces Six-Year Prison Sentence for Financial Fraud

Conviction and Sentencing

Buenos Aires, Argentina: Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office on Tuesday, August 9, 2022, for her role in a $1 billion financial fraud scheme during her presidency from 2007 to 2015.
A three-judge panel found Fernández, a Peronist leader, guilty of fraud but rejected a charge of running a criminal organization, which could have meant a 12-year prison term.
Fernández, who was the first Argentine vice president to be convicted while in office, denounced the verdict as the work of a “judicial mafia.”

Prosecutors alleged that Fernández granted public works contracts to a construction magnate, Lázaro Báez, who is closely tied to her family. Charges were also leveled against members of Fernández’s presidential administration, including her public works secretary, José López.
Both Fernández and López were sentenced to six years in prison.
Prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola alleged that the Báez company suffered cost overruns and in many cases, were never completed.

Fernández’s supporters vowed to stage a nationwide strike in response to the verdict. Demonstrations took place in Buenos Aires.
Argentines remain deeply divided, with some viewing Fernández as a champion of the left and others labeling her a perpetrator of corruption.
President Alberto Fernández, who is unrelated to the vice president, called the verdict “the result of a trial in which the minimum forms of due process were not taken care of.” Fernández is currently facing corruption charges in a separate trial.

Despite pending legal challenges, Fernández, who has remained defiant after the verdict, announced she would not seek re-election as president in next year’s elections.
Fernández’s allies have suggested she may reconsider her decision and continue to push for her reinstatement as a prominent political figure.
Prior to the ruling, there were concerns that Fernández could continue to seek elected office and gain immunity from arrest. With this week’s ruling, her political future remains uncertain.