Judge acquits Cristina Kirchner in money laundering case

Cristina Kirchner, Argentina’s influential vice president, got some reprieve on Monday after a federal courthouse declared her innocent in a case investigating money laundering through public works contracts.

The decision came after prosecutor Guillermo Marijuán said on May 24 that there wasn’t enough proof of Ms. Kirchner’s role in the scheme, paving the way for Judge Guillermo Casanello to absolve Argentina’s twice former president.

The case stemmed from a TV investigation in which Leandro Fariña confessed to laundering money for his boss Lázaro Báez, a public works tycoon from Santa Cruz, the home province of late former president Néstor Kirchner, of whom Mr. Báez was also a long-time friend.

Both Mr. Fariña and Mr. Báez were jailed for their actions, though Mr. Fariña’s sentence was shortened due to his role as a witness. But Prosecutor Marijuán said he could not prove Ms. Kirchner played any role in the case, even though he stated that they clearly knew she and Mr. Báez had talked on the phone with him on multiple occasions.

Despite the good news, Ms. Kirchner is still in legal trouble due to a similar investigation, in which she was recently condemned to six years in prison plus a lifetime ban from holding public office. In this parallel case she stands accused of defrauding the state to hand public works contracts to Mr. Báez during her time as president between 2007 and 2015. 

The sentence against Ms. Kirchner will not come into effect until after the appeals process is finished, although Ms. Kirchner has said she believes she won’t win on appeal due to animosity between her and the country’s judiciary.

With an election due later this year and the Peronist administration not seen as a favorite, Ms. Kirchner’s position could become even more fragile in the near future as she loses political power. She has repeatedly said she will not run for president again, but it is not clear who will be the ruling coalition’s candidate.

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