The trial for the Notebooks of Bribes has begun: Cristina Kirchner faces the largest corruption case in Argentina's history

The trial for the Notebooks of Bribes began this Thursday at the Federal Oral Court No. 7, marking the start of the largest judicial corruption case in Argentine history. With 87 defendants, 626 witnesses, and figures representing both Kirchnerist political power and crony business sectors, the case promises to mark a turning point in the country's judicial history.

The investigation, which broke out in 2018 after the publication of the notebooks of driver Oscar Centeno, revealed a network of systematic bribes and kickbacks that allegedly operated between 2003 and 2015, during the governments of Néstor and Cristina Kirchner, to finance politics and enrich officials.

Los ocho cuadernos de las coimas: seis están en manos de la Justicia, dos continúan desaparecidos

The main defendants

On the political side, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, Julio De Vido, Roberto Baratta, Ricardo Jaime, Juan Pablo Schiavi, financier Ernesto Clarens, and Oscar Centeno himself, author of the eight notebooks where he recorded the money's route, stand out. All are accused of being part of an illicit association dedicated to collecting bribes from state contractor companies.

The list extends to Nelson Lazarte (Baratta's secretary), Claudio Uberti (former head of OCCOVI), José López (former Secretary of Public Works, remembered for the bags in the convent), José Olazagasti (De Vido's secretary), Rudy Ulloa (former driver of Néstor Kirchner and media businessman), Walter Fagyas, and Juan Manuel Abal Medina, who will also face trial after having attempted to be acquitted.

On the business side, some of the most powerful names in Argentine public works appear: Aldo Benito Roggio, Ángelo Calcaterra, Armando Loson, Enrique Menotti Pescarmona, and Juan Carlos de Goycoechea (Isolux). According to the accusation, these businessmen paid bribes to obtain contracts and state favors within a framework of structural corruption.

Benito Roggio, Carlos Wagner y Cristina Fernández

One of the most compromising testimonies was that of businessman Carlos Wagner, former president of the Argentine Chamber of Construction and head of ESUCO S.A., accused of having been the organizer of the illicit association, acting as a link between officials and companies.

The structure of the trial and the case numbers

The process has 87 defendants: 19 former officials, two drivers, and 65 businessmen. 626 witnesses will testify, including Hilda Horovitz (Centeno's ex-wife, who exposed the scheme in 2017), Miriam Quiroga (former presidential employee), and Jorge Bacigalupo, the driver who handed the notebooks to journalist Diego Cabot.

The Court is composed of judges Enrique Méndez Signori, Fernando Canero, and Germán Castelli, with Néstor Costabel as alternate. The prosecution is led by prosecutor Fabiana León, accompanied by Nicolás Codromaz, Guido Ambrosio, and Claudio Nimis. In addition, prosecutor Paul Starc will represent the Financial Information Unit (UIF) as plaintiff.

Fabiana León, fiscal a cargo de la causa

The first public hearings—broadcast on the Supreme Court's YouTube channel—will be dedicated to reading the requests to elevate the case to trial. The process will then continue via Zoom, since there is no courtroom large enough to accommodate all the defendants and their legal teams.

Related cases and cooperating witnesses

The trial covers four case files, led by the main one (case file 9608/2018) and three related cases on public works cartelization. The money laundering section, which includes Carolina Pochetti, widow of Daniel Muñoz, accused of laundering more than USD 70 million through properties in Miami and New York, still remains to be brought to trial.

The charges include illicit association, active and passive bribery, acceptance of gifts, and money laundering.

Cristina Kirchner was charged as head of an illicit association and co-author of 204 counts of passive bribery. Julio De Vido and Roberto Baratta face charges as organizers and co-authors of more than 180 acts.

On the business side, Ángelo Calcaterra, Roggio, Loson, and Pescarmona were identified as perpetrators of between 10 and 16 counts of active bribery each, although many of them signed agreements as cooperating defendants under Law 27.304, which reduces sentences for those who provide truthful information.

Algunos de los 65 empresarios prebendarios acusados en el caso Cuadernos

A historic trial

With more than 80 defendants, hundreds of witnesses, and thousands of pages of evidence, the Notebooks trial not only exposes the structural corruption of Kirchnerism, but also the role of crony businessmen who for years benefited from the kickback system.

The process, which could last several years, will set a key precedent regarding the criminal responsibility of those who, from political or economic power, turned public office into a source of illicit enrichment.