Cristina and other defendants in the Vialidad case must appear in Comodoro Py

The Argentinian Justice takes a new step in the corruption case involving Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her circle. The Federal Criminal Oral Court No. 2 (TOCF 2) summoned the former president and 12 other defendants to appear at Comodoro Py within 72 hours.

The measure responds to the recent ruling by the Chamber IV of the Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber, which rejected the appeals filed by the defendants' defense, including the former president's attempt to take her conviction to the Supreme Court.

With this decision, the sentence issued on December 6, 2022, is confirmed, when the court composed of judges Jorge Gorini, Rodrigo Giménez Uriburu, and Andrés Basso found Cristina Kirchner guilty of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the State, in the context of the public works corruption scandal in Santa Cruz. The former head of state was sentenced to six years in prison and perpetual disqualification from holding public office, along with businessman Lázaro Báez, former Secretary of Public Works, José López, and former National Highway Director, Nelson Periotti.

The list of those prosecuted also includes Julio De Vido, Abel Fatala, Nelson Periotti, Carlos Kirchner (cousin of former president Néstor Kirchner), Juan Carlos Villafañe, José Raúl Santibáñez, Raúl Pavesi, Mauricio Collareda, Raúl Daruich, and Héctor Garro, all former officials linked to the Provincial Highway Administration of Santa Cruz. Villafañe received a five-year prison sentence, Pavesi four and a half years, Collareda and Santibáñez four years, and Daruich three and a half years. However, De Vido, Fatala, Garro, and Carlos Kirchner were acquitted.

The Cassation ruling, issued by judges Gustavo Hornos, Mariano Borinsky, and Diego Barroetaveña, ratified the decision of TOCF 2 and, just ten days ago, categorically rejected the extraordinary appeals that sought to elevate the case to the Supreme Court. The decision of the country's highest criminal instance paves the way for the definitive confirmation of the sentences and limits the delaying maneuvers of Kirchnerism.

With the official notification underway, TOCF 2 ordered all defendants to be summoned to appear at the court's front desk within the next 72 business hours. "Comply through electronic notice to their established addresses", the court determined, reaffirming the mandatory nature of the procedure.