JAKARTADAILY.ID – Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández was convicted and sentenced to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office for fraud.
Cristina Fernández was found guilty of a fraud scheme that embezzled $1 billion through public works projects during her presidency.
According to bellinghamherald.com, a three-judge panel on Tuesday found the Peronist leader guilty of fraud but rejected a charge of running a criminal organization, for which the sentence could have been 12 years in prison.
Also Read: Iranian Government 'Disbands' Morality Police in Wake of Massive Protests
It was the first time an Argentine vice president has been convicted of a crime while in office.
Fernández lashed out at the verdict, describing herself as the victim of a “judicial mafia.” But she also later announced that she would not run next year for the presidency, a post she previously held from 2007-2015.
The sentence isn’t firm until appeals are decided, a process that could take years.
She will remain immune from arrest meanwhile. Fernández's supporters vowed to paralyze the country with a nationwide strike.
Also Read: US Confirms Death of Newly Instated Islamic State Leader of Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi
President Alberto Fernández, who is not related to his vice president, said on Twitter that she was innocent and that her conviction is “the result of a trial in which the minimum forms of due process were not taken care of.”
Get news on Indonesia today from JakartaDaily.id on Google News
Related Article
Malaysian PM Calls Indonesia a 'True Friend,' Hopes that Trade and Cultural Relations Can Be Enhanced
Türkiye, Indonesia and Malaysia Among Top 20 Halal Economy Exporters