The lawyers representing Cristina Fernández presented their defense in the so-called trial for corruption in public works. Both the legal team and the vice president herself accused the prosecutors in the case of “blatantly lying” in order to send her to jail.
It’s unclear if Fernandez, 69, who is a lawyer, will personally address the court, but her defense team’s approach was clear from the start of the live-streamed hearings earlier this week.
The former president is accused of forming illicit association and aggravated fraudulent administration related to irregularities in the award of public works projects in her native province of Santa Cruz during her term (2007-2015).
The defendants allege that Fernández, along with several former government officials, benefited businessman Lázaro Báez with contracts worth hundreds of billions of pesos as part of a corruption network.
Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner accused of corruption
Prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola have asked the Federal Oral Court 2 to sentence Fernández de Kirchner to 12 years in prison and issue lifelong disqualification from holding public office. The defendant denies the charges and says they are part of an attempt to tarnish her political legacy and his future.
Fernández has been acquitted in several cases for alleged crimes that occurred when he was president, but he still faces five trials in court. “There was undue interference by political power in the process,” said defense attorney Carlos Beraldi. He maintained that “the auditors said that there is no evidence of deficiencies in the contracts and works [públicas] and determined that the mismatches in works are not considered relevant“.
Beraldi also wondered how prosecutors were able to build an accusation by arguing that none of the “control bodies,” such as Congress, had fulfilled their duties.
Beraldi also pointed out errors and contradictions in the accusation presented by the prosecution. Attacking the allegations and the conduct of the prosecutors, Fernández’s defense attorneys have sought to remove the judge and prosecutors involved in the case on the grounds that they are politically biased.
As her defense progresses, the Argentine vice president has also stepped up her presence on social media, inviting citizens to follow live coverage of the case to ensure her voice is heard. At the end of the hearing, she commented on Twitter that Beraldi had “demonstrated in documented form (as must be done in any trial) that Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola blatantly lied.” Beraldi “out of professional decorum, called it malpractice,” she added.
A verdict in the case, which may be appealed, is expected later this year. Fernández enjoys parliamentary immunity that exempts her from arrest or disqualification until the Supreme Court rules.
