In a decision that marks a turning point in Argentina's political and judicial history, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation confirmed today the criminal conviction against the corrupt former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in the so-called Vialidad case.
This way, the sentence that condemns her to six years in prison and perpetual disqualification from holding public office for corruption in public works during her administration is upheld.
The resolution was made in an extraordinary meeting that brought together judges Horacio Rosatti, Carlos Rosenkrantz, and Ricardo Lorenzetti, who confirmed the ruling of Federal Oral Court No. 2 issued in December 2022.
Horacio Rosatti, Carlos Rosenkrantz y Ricardo Lorenzetti.
With this decision, Cristina Kirchner is legally disqualified from running in the 2025 elections and could face a detention order in the coming hours, unless the enforcement court decides otherwise.
The Vialidad case
The Vialidad case investigated the awarding of 51 public road works contracts in the province of Santa Cruz, systematically granted to businessman Lázaro Báez, a close associate of the Kirchner family. The total amount awarded exceeds 46,000 million pesos (at that time).
Cristina Kirchner was tried for two main offenses:
On one hand, fraudulent administration to the detriment of the State, for allowing an irregular contracting system that facilitated overpricing, payments for unfinished works or works not carried out at all.
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, expresidente de argentina.
On the other hand, illicit association, although this charge was dismissed in the original ruling and was not subject to review by the Court.
According to the now-confirmed ruling, the former president had a key role in the structure that favored Báez, who was convicted in parallel cases for money laundering. The judiciary determined that the mechanism involved the use of the State as an instrument of plundering and diversion of public funds, with the direct endorsement of the Kirchnerist Executive Branch.
With this ruling, Cristina Kirchner becomes the first former president criminally convicted with a final sentence for acts of corruption in democracy. Although she can still appeal to international bodies such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the political impact is immediate: she is out of the electoral race and her judicial situation worsens.
