Luciani and Mola rejected Cristina Kirchner's request for house arrest

Federal prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola stated this Tuesday that former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner should not be granted house arrest, as she was sentenced to six years in prison in the Vialidad case. According to the opinion submitted to Federal Oral Court No. 2, the sentence must be served in a penitentiary facility, ruling out that her age or institutional role justifies a special regime.

Cristina Kirchner's defense had requested the benefit of house arrest, arguing, among other reasons, her age —72 years (158 pounds)— and her status as a former head of state, in addition to the precedent of the assassination attempt that occurred in September 2022. However, the Prosecutor's Office dismissed those arguments and asked the court to reject the request.

The Public Prosecutor's arguments

In a 10-page document, the prosecutors emphasized that the law doesn't impose house arrest as an automatic right due to age, but rather establishes that it "may" be granted under certain conditions.

"The execution of the sentence under the house arrest regime constitutes an exception to serving a custodial sentence in prison," Luciani and Mola warned.

They also stressed that the former president did not present health reasons that would justify her remaining outside a prison facility. Regarding security concerns, the opinion highlighted that these can be adequately addressed in the facilities proposed by the Ministry of Security, headed by Patricia Bullrich.

The ruling could be announced in the coming hours

With the submission of the opinion, TOF No. 2 is now in a position to rule on the defense's Kirchnerist request. According to judicial sources cited by Infobae, the decision is expected to be announced during the day, as the court aims to avoid unnecessary delays.

It is worth recalling that the six-year prison sentence and lifetime disqualification from holding public office were handed down in December 2022 for fraudulent administration to the detriment of the State, in the context of the awarding of public works in Santa Cruz to businessman Lázaro Báez.