The images from the operation carried out in 2018 and presented before the Federal Oral Court 7 show the interior of the Recoleta residence, where ostentatious sculptures, portraits, and personal items were also recorded
In the context of the historic trial regarding the scandalous corruption notebook case, the display of videos from the raid exposed the obscene opulence in the intimacy of the convicted Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. On September 17, in a public hearing broadcasted live before the Federal Oral Court 7, previously unseen audiovisual material came to light that exposed the intimacy of Kirchnerist power. Federal prosecutor Fabiana León requested to project the footage taken by the Federal Police during the operation carried out on August 23, 2018 by order of the late federal judge Claudio Bonadio.
The operation took place in the apartment located on the fifth floor at the intersection of Juncal and Uruguay, in the exclusive Buenos Aires neighborhood of Recoleta, a property identified by the taxi driver Oscar Centeno as one of the epicenters where bags of dollars were delivered from the alleged collection of bribes and kickbacks during the Kirchner era.
Image of the armored door
During the testimony of the witness and commissioner of the Federal Police, Juan Carlos Barrales, who was responsible for the operation, film sequences recorded in video of 12 minutes and 07 seconds and 04 minutes and 30 seconds were projected.
When questioned about the operation, the police chief emphasized before the judges: “It was a sensitive raid, the residence of two very important figures, two former presidents of Argentina. We had to document everything very well”. Furthermore, Juan Carlos Barrales confirmed: “We left and the residence remained in the same condition”.
The images allowed for a detailed observation of the ostentatious lifestyle in the residence of former presidents Néstor Kirchner and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Among the items recorded by the camera were white cushions on the matrimonial bed embroidered with the initials of Néstor and Cristina Kirchner, artworks that covered almost all the walls, family portraits, and paintings by Frida Kahlo.
One of the most significant findings during the police inspection was the filming of an imposing security door located in the master bedroom's dressing room. Additionally, the recording captured a first dining room, clothes hanging, personal items, and green apples in a fruit bowl in the service area.
Apartment decoration
During the inspection of the sculptures, figurines, and paintings, a phone conversation between the officers and the court officials was recorded, where an officer stated: “I don't know if they are valuable or not”, receiving instructions to wait for the intervention of appraiser experts from Banco Ciudad.
The video also exposed the exact moment when Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's lawyer, Carlos Beraldi, received the police delegation with arms crossed, listened to the reading of the record, and indicated: “You all decide where you want to go. This is the service area”. However, after a phone consultation with the court, the agents notified him that by court order he had to leave the premises.
The display of the material provoked a heated exchange in the courtroom. Lawyer Carlos Beraldi protested vigorously stating: “We have been very patient in allowing the Prosecutor's Office to show the video without explaining what the purpose was. If there is a specific issue, it should be indicated and go to the specific minute. They are showing the entire house of my client, matters that relate to her privacy, her clothing. It has no relevance to this case”.
Part of the wardrobe
Furthermore, he added: “This is an excess. I am not very prone to making qualifications, but it shows the bad faith with which they are proceeding”, while denouncing: “The Prosecutor's Office had the bad intention of verifying whether what I had reported was correct or not. It was clearly heard when, in a totally illegal manner, the judge ordered my expulsion from the residence. I opposed it and it was the subject of a criminal complaint”.
In response to the defense's complaints, federal prosecutor Fabiana León replied sharply: “Videos of raids, photos, and seizures have always been shown. I don't see why it should be different this time. The way the operation was carried out was questioned, and then things were said that do not align with this video, which is why the Prosecutor's Office is displaying it”. After the debate, the Federal Oral Court 7 dismissed the defense's opposition and authorized the continuation of the projection of the material in the hearing.
