Star Metro - Argentine ex-president Kirchner to serve prison term at home

The South American country's Supreme Court last week upheld the 72-year-old's fraud conviction as well as a sentence of six years and a lifelong ban on holding public office.

This closed off the final avenue for appeal after Kirchner was convicted in 2022 of fraud in the awarding of public works tenders to a business associate during her 2007-2015 presidency.

She was given until Wednesday to report to authorities to start serving her sentence, which she had asked to do under house arrest in accordance with allowances made under Argentine law for convicted criminals aged over 70.

Kirchner, who survived an assassination attempt in September 2022, cited security reasons for her request and pointed out that as a former president, she was entitled to lifelong police protection, which she would not enjoy in prison.

But prosecutors Tuesday submitted a document to the court arguing there were no health or personal reasons for Kirchner to benefit from house arrest, which they said was an exceptional measure.

The court rejected the argument but granted the prosecutors' request that Kirchner be compelled to wear an electronic bracelet while serving her sentence starting Tuesday.

In response to the last-minute ruling, one of Kirchner's lawyers, Gregorio Dalbon, wrote on X: "THE LAW PREVAILED. THE PEOPLE PREVAILED."

- 'Puppets' -

Hundreds of supporters of Kirchner, who has been a dominant leftist force in Argentine politics for the past two decades, have observed a near-constant vigil outside her Buenos Aires apartment since the court ruling, and had been gearing up for demonstrations in the capital Wednesday.

In 2022, her conviction sparked demonstrations in several cities and some ended in clashes with police.

Kirchner and her backers claim the case was a political plot to end her career and unravel her legacy of protectionist economics and social programs.

A fierce critic of the austerity policies of budget-slashing President Javier Milei, she has called the Supreme Court judges "puppets acting on orders from above."

Kirchner is the second ex-leader since Argentina's transition from dictatorship to democracy in 1983 to be sentenced to prison after Carlos Saul Menem, convicted of weapons trafficking.

Menem never served jail time because he had immunity from prosecution as a senator.

Kirchner had herself been planning to run for a seat in the Buenos Aires provincial legislature in September elections, that would have given her immunity for the duration of her term.

Kirchner rose to prominence as part of a political power couple with her late husband Nestor Kirchner, who preceded her as president.

After two terms at the helm herself between 2007 and 2015, she served as vice president from 2019 to 2023 in the last center-left administration before Milei took power.

L.Pelletier--SMC