ALBAWABA - Former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and others who profited from a corruption scheme for which she is serving a six-year prison sentence have had nearly $500 million in assets seized by an Argentine court.
More than 100 assets, including properties owned by the 72-year-old Kirchner, her two children, and several other officials, were ordered to be seized by a federal court.
For more than 20 years, Kirchner has been a significant and divisive figure in Argentine politics. While her late husband, Nõor Kirchner, was president, she held the position of First Lady from 2003 to 2007. She then took over as president for two terms in a row until 2015.
Later, from 2019 to 2023, she served as Alberto Fernández's vice president until Javier Milei took over as president.
Her conviction on corruption charges pertaining to the awarding of public works contracts in southern Patagonia during her presidency was upheld by Argentina's Supreme Court in June of last year. The decision permitted her to wear an electronic bracelet while serving her sentence under house arrest. She was also ordered to repay $500 million and barred from public office for life.
As compensation for the material and symbolic harm caused by the criminal activity, the court ordered the confiscation of assets obtained illegally in favor of the state in a new ruling last Tuesday.
A political grudge
Kirchner, for her part, claimed that President Javier Milei's administration is pursuing a political grudge against her, accusing him of ruining the economy.
She has met with political allies to discuss Argentina's economic situation while under house arrest in her Buenos Aires apartment, but the court has since placed restrictions on her visitors.
She claimed on platform X that she is being singled out because she called a meeting to discuss the deteriorating state of the economy, which she believes the current president is ruining.
In her posts, she also expressed her lack of fear, stating that the truth will eventually come to light and the record will be corrected.
