Argentina’s vice president, Cristina Kirchner, held a live broadcast on social media this Tuesday morning (23) to defend herself against the arrest warrant made by the Public Ministry.
In an action that is yet to be judged, with the possibility of appeal, prosecutor Diego Luciani also requested that Cristina be permanently disqualified from running for public office and sentencing another eight accused of corruption.
The vice president decided to broadcast on social media after being denied by the judge her request to return to defend herself in the courts this Tuesday. Her formal defense in the lawsuit had been filed in 2019 — at the time, she refused to answer questions, insulted prosecutors and stood up before the end of the session.
In the morning, the former president left the building where she lives in Buenos Aires, in the Recoleta neighborhood, to the applause of supporters, who took selfies and chanted “Cristina president”. Upon arriving at the Senate, she began the live broadcast, in which she commented on newspaper reports and showed what would be conversations between rival politicians who, according to her, indicated that the trial was being marked by decisions of groups linked to the opposition.
The case in which Luciani asked for the prison sentence for Cristina is linked to an accusation of illicit association and fraud with the State. The vice president is accused of running the scheme and, through it, favoring businessman Lázaro Báez – who has won dozens of public works concessions since the rise to power of former president and former governor Néstor Kirchner, who died in 2010.
Báez is also being prosecuted and has already served part of a sentence for embezzlement in another case.
“Nothing that the prosecutors said was proven. On the contrary, much of what they said was actually the opposite of what happened,” said Cristina on the live. She made accusations against Mauricio Macri’s right-hand man, Nicolás Caputo, showing messages that would prove his performance to rid the former president of accusations of corruption in his government.
The vice president also called the Argentine judicial system corrupt and biased. “Just protect them [oposição]so we don’t know where the $45 billion that Macri asked the IMF is or why he spied on the families of the victims of ARA San Juan,” he said.
The speech referred to the country’s agreement with the fund, which was confirmed by the government of Alberto Fernández, with opposition from Cristina; and to a lawsuit in which the former president became a defendant, involving the 44 victims of a submarine sinking in 2017.
Cristina added: “They want to sentence me to 12 years because it was 12 years that we successfully governed Argentina. [referindo-se a seu período e o de Néstor]. But if I were born 20 times, I would do the same 20 times. I cannot respect a court that is acting on lawfare [uso da lei para perseguição política]”.
Outside, activists followed the speech on their cell phones and shouted in support of the former president. Peronist associations such as La Cámpora and Peronist Youth were present.
The case now goes to the judges for evaluation – if convicted, Cristina will be able to appeal. The sentence is expected to be given in December.
