Argentine federal justice puts an end to criminal proceedings against Cristina Kirchner

The Federal Justice of Argentina dismissed Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner yesterday in the case that investigated whether, during her administration as president (2007-2015), she participated in money laundering operations attributed to a businessman close to her entourage.

Federal Judge Sebastián Casanello adopted the decision to end the process against the leader after, days ago, the plaintiffs of the Financial Information Unit (UIF) and the Federal Administration of Public Revenues (AFIP, tax agency) pronounced in that sense, after agreeing with the prosecution on the lack of evidence.

“Faced with the request of the prosecutor and holder of the criminal action to dismiss, accompanied by the rest of the state agencies, the judge’s task is limited to examining the requirements of reasonableness and legality of the request, which in the present case are satisfied,” said the magistrate.

With Judge Casanello’s measure, the accusation was shelved in the case initiated in 2013.

Last May 24, the prosecutor in the case, Guillermo Marijuan, “withdrew his indictment against Cristina E. Fernández”, Casanello recalled and, given this request and after being consulted by the two plaintiffs (UIF and AFIP), “both agencies shared the postulated solution”, added the magistrate.

The investigation sought to determine the participation of the political leader in a money laundering scheme of around 55 million dollars, for which the businessman Lázaro Báez, considered by the local press as being close to the vice-president’s entourage, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Fernández de Kirchner was sentenced last December to six years’ imprisonment and life disqualification from holding public office in an investigation for defrauding the State during her term of office. The vice-president’s defense appealed the ruling.

The businessman Báez was also sentenced to six years in prison in that case, in which the allegedly irregular awarding of 51 public works in favor of the Austral Construcciones group, owned by him, with federal funds in the province of Santa Cruz (south) was investigated.

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