CRIME & THE COURTS Fernando Báez Sosa: Appeals court confirms sentences for killers 24-03-2024 17:39 Buenos Aires Province appeals court confirms sentences for eight rugby-players convicted of murdering 18-year-old Fernando Báez Sosa in Villa Gesell in January 2020.
JUDICIARY Milei nominates Lijo, García-Mansilla for Supreme Court 20-03-2024 15:49 President Javier Milei confirms he is proposing federal judge Ariel Lijo to fill Supreme Court vacancy and nominates Manuel García-Mansilla as the replacement for Justice Juan Carlos Maqueda, who will retire later this year.
Venezuela Elections 2024 'Stronger than ever,' Venezuelan opposition candidate refuses to yield 14-03-2024 15:05 María Corina Machado continues to campaign, despite significant challenges, to rally support for her presidential bid, emphasising resilience and determination against the regime's obstacles.
YPF nationalisation case Brazil backs Argentina in fight over US$16-billion US YPF judgment 05-03-2024 14:02 Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Uruguay file "friends of the court" brief to assist Argentina’s appeal against a US$16.1-billion US court judgement over the controversial 2012 nationalisation of oil company YPF SA.
Cristina & the courts Court hears duelling appeals in Fernández de Kirchner graft case 26-02-2024 20:22 Court begins hearing duelling appeals – prosecutors seek doubling of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's six-year jail term for graft in 'Vialidad' case, while former president's legal team asks for acquittal.
HUMAN RIGHTS Paraguay policeman gets 30-year sentence for dictatorship torture 20-02-2024 16:02 A Paraguayan court has sentenced an 87-year-old former policeman to 30 years in jail for brutal torture carried out during the country's military dictatorship.
Politics in Venezuela Venezuela's opposition urges reinstatement of presidential hopeful 29-01-2024 16:45 Venezuela's political opposition demands nation's Supreme Court reinstate electoral eligibility of leader María Corina Machado, as anxiety swirled around this year's still unscheduled vote.
Gaza UN court tells Israel to protect Gazans, avoids ceasefire call 26-01-2024 11:54 United Nations’ top court tells Israel it must act to immediately prevent the killing and harm to innocent Palestinians in an interim ruling that stopped short of demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
UNITED STATES Billionaire Joe Lewis’ habit of tipping off staff and lover lands him in court 25-01-2024 14:15 British billionaire Joe Lewis, owner of 12,000 hectares of land near Lago Escondido, pleads guilty to charges that he gave associates non-public inside information for stock trades
INTERVIEW / PERIODISMO PURO Mariano Cúneo Libarona: ‘The necessary and urgent right now, the debatable goes to the Omnibus bill’ 20-01-2024 06:55 Javier Milei’s justice minister on the president’s controversial decree, the ‘Omnibus Law’ and “a process of revolutionary change” in Argentina. by Jorge Fontevecchia
INTERVIEW / PERIODISMO PURO Rodolfo Barra: ‘Emergency decrees are for when the going gets tough’ 13-01-2024 06:41 Argentina’s new Treasury attorney defends President Javier Milei’s emergency decree in a feature-length interview that also touches on protest rights, the Supreme Court and his Nazi past during adolescence. by Jorge Fontevecchia
MIDDLE EAST Israel rejects South Africa’s genocide allegations at UN court 12-01-2024 10:37 Israel is defending itself against the allegations at The Hague court in a case filed by South Africa over the three-month military operation in the Palestinian territory of Gaza.
POLITICS & JUDICIARY First judicial setbacks for Milei’s reform push 05-01-2024 00:58 Labour appeals court suspends key portions of mega-decree after legal challenges from top union groups, dealing president a setback.
POLITICS Court suspends Milei’s labour reforms, dealing president a setback 04-01-2024 00:51 President Javier Milei suffered his first judicial setback on Wednesday as the national labour appeals court suspended a key portion of his emergency mega-decree.
VENEZUELAN PLANE CASE Judge orders surrender of grounded Venezuela plane to United States 03-01-2024 16:18 Caracas reacts angrily to court ruling “robbery” ordering that seized Venezuelan cargo plane be handed over to US authorities.
CONGRESS SHOWDOWN Milei calls special Congress sessions over economic reform plan 24-12-2023 10:07 President Javier Milei orders Argentina’s Congress to stage extraordinary sessions from next week to discuss his controversial sweeping economic reform package.
YPF COURT CASE Government asks for more time to pay in YPF court case 28-11-2023 18:39 Argentina, which has been told to cough up US$16 billion, asks judge hearing YPF nationalisation legal case to extend a deadline for paying a deposit until “at least” January 10, 2024.
ELECTIONS 2023 La Libertad Avanza walk back election fraud claims 17-11-2023 17:14 Libertarian party’s lawyer presents Twitter screenshots and press clippings to support allegations of irregularities, but says LLA isn’t denouncing fraud but seeking greater precautions.
ELECTION 2023: RUN-OFF Concern over libertarian fraud claims with tight run-off expected 17-11-2023 07:20 Argentines go to the polls on Sunday to decide if Sergio Massa or Javier Milei will be the country’s next president; Libertarian’s party raises spectre of fraud with ‘irregularities’ and ballots claims but electoral authorities say they are unfounded.
VOTING & DEMOCRACY 104-year-old grandmother wins court battle to protect her vote 07-11-2023 16:00 Berazategui grandmother Fanny Magdalena Córdoba, has voted in every election since 1951, when women first won suffrage in Argentina. Blocked in this year's elections from casting a ballot due to her age, she went to court to ensure she retained her democratic right to vote. by Ariel Stemphelet
CRISTINA & THE COURTS Supreme Court delivers judicial setbacks for Cristina Fernández de Kirchner 10-10-2023 18:37 Argentina’s highest court moves to dismiss different claims made by the former president’s defence team in the money-laundering and Iran memorandum cases.
Olivosgate Supreme Court finally closes pandemic-era ‘Fiesta de Olivos’ case 05-10-2023 17:04 Court case investigating criminal wrongdoing related to Fabiola Yáñez’s 39th birthday party during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown shut down; President Alberto Fernández and his partner let off as NGO’s bid to keep the case open knocked back.
OIL & GAS Argentina investors see rally in YPF bonds running out of steam 21-09-2023 23:07 Investors saying it’s time to sell bonds from Argentina’s state-run oil driller YPF SA ahead of the presidential elections in October.
HUMAN RIGHTS Court confirms life sentences for Jorge ‘Tigre’ Acosta and 39 others 19-09-2023 16:34 Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber dismissed appeals by 40 individuals convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in jail.
YPF RULING Burford eyes 37,000% return in US$16-billion Argentina award 11-09-2023 21:29 Litigation funder paid US$16.6 million for YPF seizure claims; Argentina has vowed to appeal Friday award by US federal judge.
US COURT RULING Argentina ordered to pay US$16 billion in YPF lawsuit 08-09-2023 13:14 Argentina ordered to pay at least US$8.4 billion in damages and US$7.6 billion in interest in a US lawsuit over its 2012 re-nationalisation of state oil company YPF
ELECTION 2023 Milei draws up plans to ‘free’ Argentina’s Judiciary 31-08-2023 13:46 Libertarian presidential hopeful believes that Argentina’s “political caste” has “taken the Judiciary hostage.” Claiming that he wants to remove political pressures and fill judicial vacancies, Javier Milei could make Guillermo Montenegro, a candidate for national deputy and a figure close to Victoria Villarruel, his judicial operator, should he reach the Casa Rosada. by Juan Pablo Kavanagh
HUMAN RIGHTS Brazil high court rules homophobia punishable by prison 23-08-2023 10:57 Brazil Supreme Court ruling puts homophobic hate speech on the same legal level as racist hate speech, a decision applauded by rights activists in a country with rampant violence against the LGBTQ+ community.
BRAZILIAN POLITICS Brazil court bars Bolsonaro from public office 30-06-2023 15:54 Former Brazil president says he will would appeal a court decision to bar him from public office for eight years, a ruling he described as a "stab in the back."
Bolsonaro's Trial Bolsonaro's political future at stake in Brazil trial 22-06-2023 11:26 Jair Bolsonaro faces make-or-break trial in Brazilian courts that could determine the former president's political future and stoke uncertainty.
AMIA ATTACK 1994 AMIA bombing: Argentina seeks arrest of four Lebanese 15-06-2023 17:38 Argentina on Thursday sought an international arrest warrant for four Lebanese citizens suspected of involvement in the 1994 bomb attack on the AMIA Jewish community centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people and injured 300.
CRISTINA & THE COURTS Case against CFK over misuse of presidential planes quashed 14-06-2023 22:16 Federal Criminal Cassation Court throws out case against Cristina Fernández de Kirchner investigating alleged misuse of presidential fleet, ruling probe opened by late federal judge Claudio Bonadio was not impartial.
HUMAN RIGHTS Clooney Foundation denounces Venezuela’s abuses in Argentine court 14-06-2023 15:17 Lawsuit filed by Clooney Foundation for Justice calls on Argentina to apply the principle of ‘universal jurisdiction’ and allow investigation into alleged human rights abuses in Venezuela.
UNITED STATES Trump denies mishandling US secrets in historic court appearance 14-06-2023 14:26 Donald Trump pleads not guilty to dozens of criminal counts of mishandling some of the US government's most sensitive secrets and scheming to prevent their return, in a historic first court appearance as a federal defendant.
Human Rights Argentine court hears genocide allegations against Myanmar leaders 08-06-2023 16:03 Court hears allegations of genocide against Myanmar leaders at closed-door hearing in Buenos Aires, presenting vital evidence to ongoing judicial probe into alleged crimes perpetrated by the Asian nation's military.
POLITICS Cristina takes aim at courts and IMF – but doesn’t anoint a candidate 25-05-2023 19:35 No word on candidacies, but Cristina fills the Plaza de Mayo, surrounded by leading Frente de Todos figures; Veep calls for renewal of democratic pact, attacks Judiciary and slams IMF deal.
Editorial Much ado about almost nothing 13-05-2023 09:07 One constant of the current administration has been to prioritise the political and the judicial over the economic and the social, with this week a case in point.
As I see it On planet K, the rule of law is undemocratic 13-05-2023 08:41 The attempt to impeach the four members of the Supreme Court is going nowhere, and the government’s predictably furious reaction is unlikely to enhance its image either here or in the rest of the world. by James Neilson
Elections 2023 The Supreme Court’s political muscle 13-05-2023 08:35 The Supreme Court’s decision must be read purely in political terms, demonstrating that it won’t back down and has the intention to play hard ball in the political arena. by Agustino Fontevecchia
FIFAGATE CORRUPTION Ex-banker who paid FIFA bribes avoids prison by aiding crackdown 12-05-2023 12:56 Argentine sports marketing executive Alejandro Burzaco, who admitted paying tens of millions of dollars in bribes to corrupt Latin American football officials, spared from prison after serving as star witness in FIFA-gate trial.
ELECTIONS 2023 Manzur withdraws Tucumán candidacy after Supreme Court ruling 12-05-2023 09:03 Ex-Cabinet chief governor announces he will no longer run as lieutenant governor for northern province, with provincial Interior Minister Miguel Acevedo set to replace him as Osvaldo Jaldo’s running-mate.
POLITICS & JUDICIARY Government’s row with Supreme Court hits new heights 11-05-2023 23:36 Explosive reaction to ruling suspending gubernatorial elections in San Juan and Tucumán; President Alberto Fernández accuses justices of targeting Peronist candidates.
ELECTIONS 2023 Supreme Court suspends elections in San Juan, Tucumán 09-05-2023 18:19 Supreme Court suspends provincial elections in San Juan and Tucumán, just five days before voters are due to go to the ballot-box.
UNITED STATES Trump found liable for sexually abusing writer 09-05-2023 18:18 A New York jury found Donald Trump liable Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming an American former magazine columnist and ordered the ex-president to pay her $5 million in damages.
Death of Diego Maradona Eight accused of wrongdoing in Maradona's death will stand trial, rules court 18-04-2023 15:33 Members of Diego Maradona's eight-strong medical team will stand trial for their alleged role into legendary footballer's death and face between 8 and 25 years in jail.
HUMAN RIGHTS Venezuela rights abuse victims hopeful ICC will bring peace 12-04-2023 13:07 Victims of alleged human rights violations in Venezuela say they're hopeful an International Criminal Court probe into killings and torture will bring them some closure.
COURT RULINGS Billions in legal losses are set to push Argentina closer to the brink 05-04-2023 18:01 A pair of back-to-back court losses stand to push Argentina’s already precarious finances to the brink.
COURT RULING Argentina loses US$1.5-billion UK case over GDP-linked bonds 05-04-2023 10:47 Argentina must compensate investors for losses in the country’s growth-linked securities after the nation changed the method of calculating gross domestic product, a London court ruled.
HUMAN RIGHTS Inter-American court to hear first abortion rights case 22-03-2023 11:26 Woman, identified as "Beatríz", squaring off against El Salvador for case on the legality of denying access to abortion services
RUSSIAN LEADER ICC issues war crimes arrest warrant for Putin 17-03-2023 14:58 The International Criminal Court announces an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin on the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children. Russia is not a party to the ICC so it is unclear if or how the Russian president could ever be extradited.