Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a former president of Argentina, was placed on house arrest while serving her six-year sentence on corruption charges.
The court decided on Tuesday that the 72-year-old Fernandez’s placement on house arrest was appropriate given her political figure’s age and popularity.
The popular left-wing leader was attacked by a gunman at her head just three years ago, in 2022, in an assassination attempt. In its decision, the court cited these risks and claimed Fernandez’s safety “would become complicated if he was confined to a prison environment in coexistence with any type of prison population.”
Courts in Argentina frequently grant house arrest to people of advanced age as well.
The court ordered that the former president’s house arrest begin right away. Additionally, it stated that electronic monitoring would be done on her. She will spend the rest of her time in her Buenos Aires apartment, which she lives in with her granddaughter and daughter.
According to the court, Fernandez “must remain at the registered address,” which she is only required to fulfill in exceptional circumstances. The court will have to check out any prospective residents of the apartment, aside from household staff, healthcare workers, and other approved individuals.
Following last week’s ruling that the former president had to be imprisoned, Argentina’s Supreme Court upheld her conviction and forbid her from ever running for office again.
In 2022, she was found guilty of obtaining beneficial contracts through Lazaro Baez, a close family member. According to the prosecution, Baez’ contracts had rates that were 20% higher than the industry’s, potentially generating millions of dollars.
Her political career has been plagued by other scandals, including allegations of bribery and money laundering. The judicial system of Argentina still weighs some of those cases.
However, Fernandez has dismissed the accusations against her as political attacks. Prior to the ban on her candidacy, she had been preparing to run in this year’s legislative elections.
After succeeding her husband, the late Nestor Kirchner, Fernandez became Argentina’s president in 2007 and 2015.
Four years after leaving the “Pink House” of the presidency, Fernandez, resigned as vice president of another left-wing politician, Alberto Fernandez.
Both Fernandez and Alberto Fernandez, who do not share a familial relationship, were subject to severe criticism for managing Argentina’s economy, including their heavy reliance on government aid and the country’s devaluation of the peso as a result of excess currency printing.
However, Fernandez continues to enjoy a lot of popularity, particularly among those who live in poverty, especially because of her investments in social programs to combat poverty.
The Justicialist Party, the main force behind the libertarian government under current President Javier Milei, has been Fernandez’s pillar since 2024. He succeeded Alberto Fernandez in becoming president in 2023.
Source: Aljazeera
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