Argentine VP Cristina Fernández guilty, 6 years for fraud

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) ” Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández was convicted with every one other accompanied by sentenced Tuesday to sextet years inside prison with every one other accompanied by a lifetime ban from holding condition office for a fraud scheme that embezzled USD1 billion into and not here of condition works projects throughout her presidency.

A three-judge panel found the Peronist leader culpable of fraud, nevertheless rejected a ask in remittance of running a criminal organization, for which the judgement could have been 12 years inside prison. It™s the earliest hour dated an Argentine vice president has been convicted of a crime while inside office.

The judgement isn™t firm until appeals are decided, a procedure that could lay clasp of years. She will remains immune from arrest meanwhile.

Speaking following the verdict, she described herself while the victim of a judicial mafia.

Her supporters vowed to paralyze the country accompanied by a nationwide strike. They clogged downtown Buenos Aires with every one other accompanied by marched on the confederate court of rules and regulations building, beating drums with every one other accompanied by shouting while they pressed opposed to police barriers.

Fernández roundly denied all the accusations. Argentina™s presiding leader this century, she was accused of improperly granting condition works contracts to a building magnate closely tied to her family.

The verdict is sure to deepen fissures inside the South American nation, where politics tin exist a gore sport with every one other accompanied by the 69-year-old populist leader is either loved or hated.

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    • Prosecutors said Fernández fraudulently directed 51 condition works projects to Lázaro Báez, a building magnate with every one other accompanied by early associate of her with every one other accompanied by her husband Nestor Kirchner, who served while president from 2003-2007 with every one other accompanied by died straight away inside 2010.

    Báez with every one other accompanied by members of her 2007-2015 presidential management were among a dozen others accused inside the conspiracy. The panel sentenced Báez with every one other accompanied by her condition works secretary, José López, to sextet years. Most of the others got lesser sentences.

    Prosecutors Diego Luciani with every one other accompanied by Sergio Mola said the Báez firm was created to embezzle revenues into and not here of improperly provide projects that suffered from cost overruns with every one other accompanied by inside numerous cases were never completed. The firm disappeared following the Kirchners™ 12 years inside power, they said.

    In Argentina, judges inside such cases customarily say verdicts with every one other accompanied by sentences earliest with every one other accompanied by describe how they reached their decision later. The panel™s filled decision is expected inside February. After that, the verdict tin exist appealed up to the Supreme Court, a procedure that could lay clasp of years.

    Pollster Roberto Bacman, who directs Argentina™s Center for Public Opinion Studies with every one other accompanied by supported the military operation of contemporaneous President Alberto Fernández, said the opposition parties have been hoping to military operation calling her a convict, while well while a thief with every one other accompanied by a whore.

    And Cristina Fernández, who last month compared her judges to a firing squad, is prepared to amuse oneself the victim, characterizing the judiciary while a pawn of right-wing forces including opposition media with every one other accompanied by Mauricio Macri, who succeeded her while president, Bacman said.

    So we by that hour dated know how she™ll exist attacked with every one other accompanied by too how Kirchnerism will protect her, which is to believe concerning her a victim of lawfare, fair exist fond of Lula (President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) faced inside Brazil or what the former president of Ecuador (Rafael Correa) currently faces, Bacman said.

    Either way, she remains the singular leader of the leftist faction of the Peronist movement. Bacman said his surveys show 62% want her removed with every one other accompanied by 38% support her, no indeed matter what.

    Meanwhile, other cases carry on accompanied by to exist pending opposed to her, including a ask in remittance of money-laundering that too involves her son with every one other accompanied by daughter.