The United States government has sanctioned former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for “significant corruption,” banned her and her immediate family from entering the country.
The banning order, which also applies to former federal planning minister Julio De Vido, a top official in Fernández de Kirchner’s 2007-2015 governments, was described by the former president as nonsense.
Even members of Argentina’s brutal 1976-1983 military dictatorship “were never banned from entering,” she highlighted.
The sanction, signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, came with little warning but as no surprise.
A longtime critic of Argentina’s former president, he described Fernández de Kirchner and De Vido as “abused their positions by orchestrating and financially benefitting from multiple bribery schemes involving public works contracts.”
The losses resulted “in millions of dollars stolen from the Argentine government,” said Rubio.
“Multiple courts have convicted CFK and De Vido for corruption, undermining the Argentine people’s and investors’ confidence in Argentina’s future,” declared the statement.
Fernández de Kirchner was last year sentenced to six years in prison for corruption offences and barred from public office, a ruling she has appealed.
The sentence is not yet final and she is likely to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Fernández de Kirchner, who also served as vice-president to former president Alberto Fernandez between 2019 and 2023, reacted with an angry message on social media.
“Will it be because of a crypto scam? Because, truth be told, I didn't do any crypto scam in the United States or anywhere else. And my daughter, even less,” she lashed out, referring to Milei’s controversial involvement in the ‘$LIBRA’ cryptocurrency fiasco.
She also took aim at US President Donald Trump, who was ordered to pay compensation to writer E. Jean Carroll for sexual abuse and defamation in a civil case and found guilty of accounting falsification for paying a porn actress to hide an extramarital affair that he denies.
“Did my son sexually abuse some journalist or writer in New York's most expensive department store? Or did he bribe some American prostitute not to disclose that he had hired her services because it would hurt his campaign? Neither... Neither of the two,” wrote Fernández de Kirchner.
She accused President Javier Milei of being behind the sanction, implying that it was tacit support from Washington for his current administration.
‘Significant corruption’
According to Rubio’s official statement, the designation was made under Section 7031(c) of the US State Department's Foreign Operations and Related Programs Act, a rule that allows the sanctioning of foreign officials when there is evidence of their direct or indirect participation in serious acts of corruption or human rights violations.
The decision does not constitute a judicial condemnation, but it is a strong diplomatic measure used by the United States to mark a political and moral position in the face of acts of corruption considered proven by investigations or competent agencies.
In addition, it enables cooperation with other countries and international agencies on judicial investigations or recovery of assets.
Rubio said that "CFK," as Fernández de Kirchner is commonly known, and De Vido – as well as their closest relatives – had been designated under US law as credibly involved in "significant corruption."
"This action renders CFK, De Vido, and their immediate family members generally ineligible for entry into the United States," said Rubio.
Since leaving the presidency and while awaiting the result of her appeal, Fernández de Kirchner has continued to pursue political activities. She is now the leader of the main party in the opposition Peronist coalition.
This has made her a high-profile opponent of Milei, Argentina's current leader who is an ally of Trump.
Milei gleefully mocked his rival on social media after news of the sanction was made public.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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