Argentina’s vice-president, Cristina Kirchner, made her own defense in the closing debates of a corruption case, which she denounced for “lies, slander and defamation” and for which the Public Ministry demanded a 12-year prison sentence.
“We are dealing with a clear case of malfeasance. Prosecutor (Diego) Luciani and prosecutor (Sergio) Mola lied in the prosecution’s testimony. This is a case full of lies, slander, and defamation,” Kirchner said in the remote intervention. Senate Presidency.
The vice president protested in August after the court refused to extend his interrogation statement. The request was made by Kirchner after allegations of the inclusion of new elements, according to the Public Department itself.
That’s why Kirchner stressed that his intervention this Friday was not a “graceful concession of the court” but rather a privilege given to him as a lawyer by the profession.
“If I hadn’t been lucky enough to be a lawyer, I would have been helpless before the prosecutor’s defense was extended,” he said.
Kirchner, 69, president from 2007-2015 and a key political figure in Peronism, is accused of forming illegal associations and aggravating fraudulent rule. For this reason, the Ministry of Public Affairs also demanded a political ban.
Because of parliamentary prerogatives, he may not be detained or revoked pending a final decision by the High Court of Justice.
In this case, which began in 2019, he is charged, along with 12 others, for allegedly guiding the award of public works contracts in his political stronghold of Santa Cruz (southern) state in favor of businessman Lázaro Báez. The decision should be known by the end of this year.
source: Noticias
