Argentina Court Keeps Kirchner Hotesur Appeal Alive
POLITICS · ARGENTINA
Key Facts
- —The country Argentina, where former president Cristina Kirchner and her son Máximo face trial over two family companies, Hotesur and Los Sauces.
- —What happened Chamber I of the Federal Criminal Cassation Court kept prosecutors’ challenge alive and confirmed a 15 October hearing, Perfil and Infobae reported on 2 October 2026.
- —Who is involved Judges Daniel Petrone and Diego Barroetaveña formed the majority; Alejandro Slokar dissented. Prosecutors want one joint trial instead of two.
- —What it means for you The ruling settles nothing on guilt. It decides only whether the trials stay split, which shapes the Kirchner family’s legal calendar before the 2027 elections.
- —Still open Whether Los Sauces still opens on 23 October and Hotesur on 19 March 2027, as the trial court ordered in September.
The Kirchner Hotesur case returned to Argentina’s top criminal court this week, and the prosecution’s challenge survived a procedural round. The court kept alive their bid to try the Hotesur and Los Sauces cases together.
Chamber I of the Federal Criminal Cassation Court, the top criminal court below the Supreme Court, confirmed a hearing for 15 October. Perfil and Infobae reported the decision on Friday 2 October 2026.
What the cassation court decided
The ruling was procedural, not a verdict. According to Perfil, the court resolved to “continue the cassation proceedings” and to stand by the hearing already scheduled.
Infobae reported that Mario Villar, the prosecutor before the cassation court, had asked to postpone that hearing. He wanted it heard together with a second prosecution appeal still being processed.
The majority, judges Daniel Petrone and Diego Barroetaveña, kept the date because the first trial is close. Judge Alejandro Slokar dissented, according to Infobae.
Petrone wrote that the prosecution’s interest in a ruling “has not disappeared”. The court left room to reschedule the hearing if the second appeal requires it.
Two companies, two accusations
Los Sauces is the family’s property company. Prosecutors say it rented properties to state contractors between 2009 and 2015, mainly to businessmen Lázaro Báez and Cristóbal López.
Hotesur ran the family’s hotel business, including the Alto Calafate hotel in Santa Cruz province. The accusation says money from irregular road contracts awarded to Báez firms was laundered through it.
According to Infobae, that money allegedly reached the family through hotel revenue and contracts with Valle Mitre, a firm linked to Báez. Clarín lists Báez, López and Fabián De Sousa among the co-defendants.
Why the trials were split
The two cases were joined in 2019 with cassation court approval. In September, Federal Oral Criminal Court No. 5, the trial court, separated them again.
It set Los Sauces to open on 23 October 2026 and Hotesur on 19 March 2027, the prosecution service reported. The trial judges said charges and admitted evidence remain unchanged.
They argued that the split would organise witnesses better and speed things up. Hotesur, they noted, still awaits a report from accounting experts on the financial records.
The prosecution’s objection
Trial prosecutor Diego Velasco says the split “fragments” the judging of intertwined schemes, Perfil reported. He wants both trials to start together on 23 October.
Velasco argues that the change delays Hotesur by almost five months. He notes the evidence was offered more than six years ago.
Clarín reported on 26 September that unease over the split had reached the Supreme Court. Kirchner already serves a sentence in the separate Vialidad case, where the top court cleared the way to seize her assets.
Kirchner is also contesting the lifetime ban on holding office that came with that sentence. She is taking it to a UN committee in a bid for the 2027 ballot.
What Is Not Yet Known
The cassation court has not ruled on the merits of the Kirchner Hotesur dispute. It will hear arguments on 15 October and decide afterwards.
Velasco’s appeal against the split had not yet reached the cassation court, according to Infobae. The defence’s response to Friday’s ruling was not reported in the coverage reviewed.
If the court rejects the prosecution, Los Sauces opens on 23 October as planned. If it agrees, both cases could again run as one trial.
Sources: Perfil (2 Oct 2026); Infobae (2 Oct 2026); Clarín (26 Sep 2026); Public Prosecutor’s Office (22 Sep 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief