Argentine Justice Orders Return of Over $500 Million from Convict Cristina Kirchner and Others
In a significant development, Argentina's Federal Oral Court No. 2 has ordered former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and other convicted defendants to repay a staggering AR$684,990,350,139.86 (approximately $542 million) obtained through fraudulent public works contracts in the Vialidad case.
The ruling, formalized on July 15-16, 2025, follows the Argentina Supreme Court's upholding of the convictions on June 10, which confirmed the exhaustion of appeals and allowed the sentences to take effect.
The sum ordered for repayment, considered by the judges as a well-founded calculation of the damage caused to the public treasury due to corruption, is based on inflated public contract bids and incomplete public works. The court rejected alternative calculations submitted by Kirchner's defense experts due to methodological discrepancies.
Kirchner and the others have 10 working days from the date of the ruling to deposit this amount into a special judicial bank account. Failing to do so, the judiciary will proceed to seize or auction their assets, which include 213 properties, 14 vehicles, and six companies. Some of these assets belong directly to Kirchner, while others belong to co-defendants like businessman Lázaro Báez. Many of Kirchner's assets were transferred to her children as an inheritance but remain under judicial investigation and are frozen in related corruption probes.
It is important to note that Kirchner, who denies the charges and asserts judicial persecution, is currently serving a six-year prison sentence under house arrest, wearing an electronic ankle monitor, and has been handed a lifelong ban on holding public office.
This marks a critical step in enforcing the financial penalties arising from the Vialidad corruption scandal, reaffirming the judiciary’s position to recoup state funds obtained fraudulently by the former president and her associates.
- The order for former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to repay over $500 million in the Vialidad case has disrupted the fashion industry, as properties and companies connected to her have been frozen in corruption probes.
- The Supreme Court's ruling on Kirchner's illegal public works contracts has caused a stir in the finance and business sectors, with investors closely following the repayment process and subsequent asset seizures.
- Amidst ongoing investigations, the political landscape in Argentina is in a state of flux, as the Vialidad corruption case has raised questions about accountability and integrity in the political and general-news arenas.
