Cristina Fernández de Kirchner faces several trials that could lead to her eventual disqualification from political office, if she is found guilty and convicted in any of them.
They are: the ‘Hotesur-Los Sauces’ case, concerning alleged money-laundering; the cover-up charges related to her government’s controversial Memorandum with Iran investigating the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community centre and graft allegations in the so-called ‘Cuadernos’ (“notebooks”) corruption trial.
Additionally, she is awaiting the final decision regarding her conviction in the so-called ‘Vialidad’ case probing alleged overpricing in public works in Santa Cruz Province, which is expected to arrive sometime in 2025.
Earlier this week, Argentina’s Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that Fernández de Kirchner and her son, national deputy Máximo Kirchner, must face trial for alleged money-laundering in the ‘Hotesur-Los Sauces’ case, confirming progression to trial. The decision adds further weight to the judicial pressure facing the former president, who is already embroiled in multiple legal proceedings.
As well as the ‘Hotesur-Los Sauces’ case, which focuses on a chain of hotels linked to the Kirchner family, two other trials remain pending. One concerns the signing of the Memorandum with Iran, with no set date at present, with the second focused on the high-profile ‘Cuadernos’ notebooks allegedly detailing a massive corruption scheme at the heart of the Kirchnerite administrations. The latter is scheduled to begin on November 6, 2025.
The court proceedings have unique aspects which could affect their development and any potential timeline but each shares a common denominator: it carries the risk of a definitive judicial process that could disqualify her from holding public office and potentially lead to imprisonment.
Any jail time handed to the former president, however, is unlikely to be served, given her age which would lead to serving time under house arrest. If she is elected or sworn-in as a lawmaker before a trial is concluded, she would also benefit from congressional immunity.
Vialidad: Conviction and possible timeline
Fernández de Kirchner’s conviction in the so-called ‘Vialidad’ case stems from accusations her government favoured allied businessman Lázaro Báez with multimillion-dollar public works contracts.
The most recent court ruling includes a prison sentence and permanent disqualification from public office. However, the sentence is not final and the Supreme Court will decide her fate in 2025, offering a definitive sentence.
The case is currently with the Federal Criminal Appeals Court. Given judicial timelines, it is unlikely to reach the Supreme Court before the latter half of next year. Any delay could give the former president time to formalise a candidacy and gain immunity from arrest as a lawmaker.
Hotesur-Los Sauces: Money-laundering allegations
Another high-profile case is ‘Hotesur-Los Sauces,’ related to alleged money-laundering. The investigation is based on the fact that Báez, who reportedly benefitted from public works contracts during Kirchnerite administrations, transferred funds to the Kirchner family via room rental agreements at their hotels in Calafate. Similarly, businessman Cristóbal López allegedly transferred money by the same means.
Judges Daniel Obligado and Adrián Grümberg initially dismissed the charges against the former president. But the Federal Criminal Appeals Court overturned the decision and ordered the case go to trial. The Supreme Court then upheld this ruling.
The investigation also implicated the former president’s daughter Florencia Kirchner, who was involved in the family firms that received payments. However, the courts ruled that she lacked decision-making power and excluded her from the trial. The list of the 25 accused who will stand trial includes Fernández de Kirchner’s lawmaker son Máximo Kirchner, as well as businessmen and former government officials.
The court overseeing the trial, composed of judges Adriana Palliotti, Nicolás Toselli and José Michillini, still needs to conduct a forensic analysis of finances and supplementary investigations, which will further delay proceedings.
Memorandum with Iran: Trial ready to begin
The likelihood of a trial probing the controversial 2013 signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Iran has also advanced in the courts. The Supreme Court recently cleared the way by rejecting an appeal from Fernández de Kirchner’s defence lawyers, thus confirming that the case will go to trial.
The pact, signed during Fernández de Kirchner’s second term in office, aimed to establish a “Truth Commission” to examine the investigation into the 1994 AMIA bombing, Argentina’s worst-ever terrorist attack. Meant to allow questioning of Iranian suspects, who remain subject to Interpol red notices in third countries, the agreement was slammed by the then-opposition. AMIA special prosecutor Alberto Nisman alleged that the deal was a ploy to shield the accused and lift the Interpol alerts. Four days after filing his complaint, Nisman was found dead in his home on January 18, 2015. The circumstances surrounding his death have never been confirmed.
The defendants going to trial, in addition to Fernández de Kirchner, include several key Peronist leaders and ex-government officials, including Carlos Zannini, Oscar Parrilli, Luis D’Elía, Andrés Larroque and Fernando Esteche, among others. The trial is nearly ready to start, with only the scheduling of oral and public hearings remaining.
‘Cuadernos’ graft probe
Fernández de Kirchner and 74 other defendants are due to be in the dock when the trial into the ‘Cuadernos’ graft notebooks trial begins on November 6, 2025.
The case arises from the eponymous notebooks supposedly kept by a former chauffeur at the Federal Planning Ministry during Kirchnerite administrations which allegedly detail a massive bribery ring of corrupt officials and business figures. It will be heard by Federal Oral Court No. 7, composed of judges Fernando Canero, Germán Castelli and Enrique Méndez Signori.
In this case, Fernánde de Kirchner is accused of leading a corrupt criminal organisation that wet its beak with kickbacks. The allegations originate from Oscar Centeno, the former driver for the Ministry then led by corrupt Kirchnerite former official Julio De Vido.`
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