Buenos Aries, Argentina
Fernández de Kirchner, who was Argentina's president for two terms between 2007 and 2015, was found guilty of fraud on Tuesday. Though she is unlikely to serve any prison time soon because she has immunity as a result of her government roles and is expected to launch a lengthy appeals process that could take years.
She has also been barred from holding public office for the rest of her life, but she will continue to serve as vice president while the case is being heard in higher courts. Prosecutors had asked for a 12-year prison sentence for the vice president.
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Fernández claimed the charges were politically motivated. After the verdict, she described herself as a victim of a "judicial mafia". She had also accused the prosecutors of lying and maligning her image prior to the judgement.
It is the first time in Argentina that a vice president has been convicted of a crime while in office.
Prosecutors claimed Fernández led an illegal partnership when she was the president of Argentina from 2007 to 2015. They claimed she set up a fraud scheme in which she steered lucrative public works contracts to a friend in exchange for bribes.