Medellin, Colombia — A court in Buenos Aires on Tuesday ordered the seizure of USD $500 million in assets linked to former President of Argentina Cristina Fernández de Kirchner as well as others involved in the so-called Vialidad corruption scandal.
One of Argentina’s most influential political figures, Fernández de Kirchner served as president from 2007 to 2015 and also served as vice president from 2019 to 2023. Former President Néstor Kirchner is her husband.
In June an Argentinian court upheld a 2022 conviction and she was ordered to serve six years of house arrest for involvement in the public works corruption scandal which took place during her presidency.
In addition, a judge at the time ordered those convicted to pay back over $500 million fraudulent funds related to bogus public works contracts in the southern Patagonia region.
Fernández de Kirchner, 72, was also effectively banned from holding public office.
Read more: Former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner given house arrest in Argentina
The former president, a prominent face of the center-left Kirchnerism political movement, maintains her innocence, calling the case a politically motivated “show,” according to La Nación.
Among the assets, the court has ordered the seizure of 20 properties owned by the ex-president and her children Máximo and Florencia de Kirchner, including one in the Patagonian town of El Calafate which reportedly measures 6,000 square meters.
The court said the seizure aims to “restore the illicitly obtained assets – and their derivatives – to the state … and at the same time compensate society for the material and symbolic damages resulting from the criminal conduct.”
If the current listed assets prove insufficient, the court will seize the assets of Nelson Perrioti, José Lopez, Mauricio Collardera, Raúl Pavesi, and Raúl Daurich.
Fernández de Kirchner is simultaneously on trial in the separate “Notebooks” bribery case – described by prosecutors as Argentina’s largest corruption investigation – which alleges that she and 86 former officials took millions in cash bribes from businessmen seeking public contracts. She denies the charges.
Featured image credit: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner via X.
