Argentina Grants House Arrest to Ex-President Cristina Fernandez Amid Corruption Sentence
A federal court in Argentina has granted former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner house arrest to serve her six-year prison sentence for corruption, citing her age, high public profile, and past threats to her safety.
The decision, announced Tuesday, allows the 72-year-old to serve her sentence from her Buenos Aires apartment, where she lives with her daughter and granddaughter. Fernandez will be subject to electronic monitoring and strict conditions, including court approval for most visitors.
The court referenced the 2022 assassination attempt against Fernandez in its ruling, noting that placing her in a regular prison could present complex security challenges. House arrest for elderly defendants is not unusual in Argentina.
The ruling follows last week’s Supreme Court decision to uphold her 2022 conviction and permanently bar her from public office. Fernandez was found guilty of directing inflated public works contracts to a close family ally, Lazaro Baez, during her presidency.
Although still facing other corruption investigations, Fernandez has dismissed the charges as politically motivated. She had been expected to run in this year’s legislative elections before the court-imposed ban.
A two-term president from 2007 to 2015, Fernandez later served as vice president under Alberto Fernandez. She now leads the Justicialist Party, the primary opposition to President Javier Milei’s administration.
With input from Al Jazeera
