(ConservativeHub.com) – Argentina has never before convicted a vice president of a crime during their time in office. But all that changed this month when a court convicted and sentenced the nation’s second-in-command for embezzling funds while in a position of power.
On Tuesday, December 6, a judge announced Argentinian Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was guilty of fraud, sentencing her to six years in prison and banning her from ever holding a public office again. Kirchner also faced a charge of running a criminal organization, but the court acquitted her on that count, which could have jailed her for a dozen years. Still, as a current public official, she’s currently immune from arrest, so she has some time before the threat of jail closes in on her.
Argentina’s Cristina Fernández sentenced to six years in $1bn fraud case https://t.co/CZmUBXU7Xi
— Guardian news (@guardiannews) December 6, 2022
Kirchner crafted a fraud scheme, stealing a billion dollars from taxpayers and funneling it to friends and family via contract awards. In a livestream, the disgraced leader claimed “a parallel state and mafia” put forward the verdict, according to The Guardian.
Authorities will explain the VP’s sentence further in February, after which she can appeal the case to the Supreme Court. Kirchner acknowledged she would not seek office again after her current term ends on December 10, 2023. She and her children are also facing other money laundering cases, so the future is certainly unclear.
Copyright 2022, ConservativeHub.com
