Within the framework of the Vialidad case, in which she was convicted of corruption in public works, Cristina Kirchner presented an alternative calculation regarding the amount of forfeiture that she believes should be returned to the State. Her expert witness, accountant José Lucas Gaincerain, estimated that the sum amounts to 42.494 billion pesos (93.7 billion pounds), that is, just 6% of the total 684.990 billion pesos (1.51 trillion pounds) established by the Supreme Court experts.
The difference arises from the method used: while the official experts applied the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from INDEC, Gaincerain used the average passive rate of the Central Bank, arguing that it better reflects the evolution of the financial value of money.
What will happen to the funds and how the process will continue
Federal Oral Court 2 will be responsible for determining which amount will be considered valid. It also received a report from the Prosecutor's Office experts, who prepared four different estimates, with values ranging from 230 billion to 723 billion pesos (507.1 billion to 1.59 trillion pounds).
Once the final amount is determined, the nine convicted in the case, including Cristina Kirchner, will have ten business days to return the money. If they do not do so, the assets in their names will be auctioned off until the sum is covered.
