Argentina’s former President Cristina Kirchner goes on trial in new corruption case

Argentinas former president Cristina Kirchner, who is currently serving a six-year fraud sentence under house arrest, is set to go on trial Thursday, November 6, in a separate corruption case involving allegations that she received millions of dollars in bribes. Kirchner, a dominant and divisive force in Argentine politics for more than 20 years, governed the country from 2007 to 2015 and later returned to power as vice president from 2019 to 2023. Her latest legal battle comes as her Peronist movement reels from a sweeping defeat by President Javier Mileis right-wing coalition in last months midterm elections. The case, widely known as the notebooks scandal, centers on handwritten records kept by a government chauffeur, who claims he transported cash bribes from businessmen to senior officials between 2003 and 2015 covering both Nstor Kirchners presidency and Cristina Kirchners two terms. Prosecutors accuse the 72-year-old of leading a criminal network that collected illicit payments in exchange for awarding state contracts. Eighty-seven people have been charged, including a former federal minister and several junior officials. Kirchner, who has been under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor since her June conviction for fraudulent administration, insists the charges are politically motivated and part of a long-running campaign to sideline her. It remains unclear whether she will appear in court via video link from her Buenos Aires residence. If convicted, she faces between six and ten years in prison at the end of what is expected to be a lengthy trial. Her defense team has challenged the reliability of the chauffeurs notebooks, arguing that the entries were altered more than 1,500 times and cannot be trusted as evidence.The post Argentina’s former President Cristina Kirchner goes on trial in new corruption case appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.