Friday, ex-argentine president cristina fernã¡ndez de kirchner was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to six years in prison. she has also been barred from holding public office for life. lã¡zaro bã¡ez, the owner of a construction firm who was accused of being the main beneficiary of the alleged kickback scheme, was also sentenced to six years in prison. seven other people were found guilty and sentenced to between three and a half and six years in prison, three were released and one had their case dismissed.
Guilty verdict was handed down on friday in argentina, where prosecutors had requested a 12-year jail sentence for fernã¡ndez. she had been accused of leading an unlawful partnership during her time in office and prosecutors had discovered irregularities in dozens of public work tenders awarded in the southern province of santa cruz. the alleged kickback scheme caused the argentine state a loss of at least $1bn (â£818m).
Has denied all allegations against her and maintained that the charges against her were politically motivated. she described herself as the victim of a “judicial mafia” after the verdict. on 1 september, fernã¡ndez became the target of an assassination attempt during one of the protests against her. despite her elected senator status which grants her a degree of immunity, she was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison. she will be able to remain free and continue in her post as she appeals against the verdict all the way to the supreme court. the appeal process could take years and she is expected to be able to run again for the senate or even for the presidency in the 2023 election.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-63872953?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
