Trial ordered for trio accused of assassination attempt on Argentina’s VP Kirchner
An Argentine federal judge ordered a trial for three individuals, comprising two men and one woman, accused of an assassination attempt on Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
The order was issued yesterday, Monday.
The individuals arrested for the alleged assassination attempt are Brazilian Fernando Sabag Montiel, who held the gun but failed to fire a shot, and his partner Brenda Uliarte and Nicolás Carrizo, both of Argentine nationality.
As reported by the state news agency Télam, Sabag Montiel and Uliarte stand accused of co-perpetrating an attempted homicide, while Carrizo is being charged as an accessory to the crime.
Federal Judge María Eugenia Capuchetti declared the investigation “partially closed” this Monday, as noted in a resolution published by Télam.
“In light of the analyzed matters, and since the defense lawyers of Sabag Montiel, Uliarte, and Carrizo did not contest the move to trial or raise exceptions, the judge declared the investigation of the present case partially closed regarding the named parties and forwarded it to the Federal Oral Court,” stated the judge.
Following Judge Capuchetti’s decision, the Federal Chamber of Criminal Cassation, Argentina’s highest criminal court, passed a lottery to decide that the oral trial would be held before the Federal Oral Court 6 (TOF6).
The trial date has yet to be confirmed.
Capuchetti’s decision has been challenged by the legal representatives of Cristina Fernández, former President of Argentina (2007-2015).
They argue that “taking the case to trial in sections is incorrect practice and hinders the quest for truth.”
The political leader’s attorneys have called for the investigation also to encompass possible financiers, instigators, and other participants in the act, a sentiment echoed by the Argentine President, Alberto Fernandez.
The case’s prosecutor, Carlos Rívolo, stated that no evidence had been discovered to suggest any political parties’ involvement or financing related to the incident.
The attempted attack on Cristina Fernández, which sent shockwaves through the South American country, occurred on the night of September 1, 2022.
Sabag Montiel aimed and fired a gun at close proximity to the vice president’s head as she was entering her home in the Recoleta neighborhood, situated in the northern part of Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires.
Investigators have established that although Sabag Montiel’s gun was loaded with five bullets, none were chambered, preventing a projectile from being discharged.
More: Argentina news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief