Prosecutor Diego Luciani asked for a 12-year prison sentence for Argentine Vice President Cristina Kirchner, in a case in which she is accused of leading an illicit association and fraud against the State during the period in which she was President of the Republic (2007-2015).
Luciani also asked that Cristina be disqualified from running for public office for the rest of her life and the return to public coffers of 5.3 billion pesos (R$ 200 million).
“We have seen and seen how the Rule of Law has been destroyed by the illegal action of the accused. We have found numerous arbitrariness, abuse of power and contraventions with regard to the rules that regulate public procurement”, said the prosecutor, in a hearing that lasted more than three hours.
Luciani also criticized President Alberto Fernández, who defended the accused – even though he is having a power struggle within the government. “No state power can interfere in a judicial process, this must be interpreted as undue interference”, he said.
After the prosecutor’s statements, the president returned to show solidarity with Cristina, saying that the vice president is the target of “judicial and media persecution”.
Sentences of between 5 and 12 years were also requested for another 12 accused, including former minister Julio De Vido and businessman Lázaro Báez, who benefited from the concession of works without bidding in the governments of Cristina and her predecessor and husband, Néstor. Kirchner.
The prosecutor stated that he had evaluated the 51 public works in which Báez participated, noting that they were “78% of all that the province received in the period”. He added that only 3 were completed in time, out of a universe of only 27 that were completed.
Among the evidence against the businessman, Luciani showed evidence of his quick enrichment and with flimsy explanations. “All the bids were a farce. There was cartelization organized by the National State,” he said.
Throughout the afternoon, Kirchnerist leaders posted support for the former president on social media, while on the ground floor of her apartment, in the Recoleta neighborhood, there were supporters and protesters calling for justice.
After nine hearings, the case against the policy will now be reviewed by judges. Even if the conviction is confirmed, it is still subject to appeal. This Tuesday (23), Cristina should attend a new session. Although she presented her defense in that lawsuit in 2019, the vice president asked to extend it, in light of the prosecutor’s new allegations.
The possibility of disqualification from running for public office could complicate Cristina’s plans to run for the Senate or even the presidency next year.
