Buenos Aires
Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández was sentenced to six years in prison and barred from holding any public office after she was found guilty of her involvement in a fraud scheme that embezzled $1 billion through public works projects during her presidency.
The 69-year-old leader was convicted of "fraudulent administration" by a three-judge panel for awarding public works contracts to a friend.
It was the first time that an Argentine vice president has been convicted of a crime while in office.
According to media reports, Fernández will unlikely be put behind bars any time soon as she enjoys immunity due to her government roles and is expected to initiate a lengthy appeals process that could take years.
The verdict ends the political aspirations of Fernández as many had expected her to run for president next year.
Meanwhile, she lashed out at the verdict, saying that the charges are politically motivated.
âIt is clear that the idea was always to convict me. This is a parallel state and mafia,â she said.
âI wonât be a candidate for anything, not president, not senator. My name will not be on any ballot,â she added.
Cristina Fernández was accused of giving 51 public works contracts in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz to a company belonging to Lázaro Báez, a friend and business associate of Fernández and her late husband, former president Néstor Kirchner, who ruled Argentina from 2003-2007.â
The officials had found irregularities in dozens of public work tenders, many of which were never completed.
Prosecutor Diego Luciani called it "probably the biggest corruption operation the country has known".
He claimed that the alleged kickback scheme had caused the Argentine state a loss of at least $1billion
(With inputs from agencies)
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