Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez is facing new corruption charges, with a judge asking for her arrest. She is alleged to have headed an illegal group that collected bribes in exchange for public contracts.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. La Valle
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Argentina's former President Cristina Fernandez has been indicted on corruption charges and a federal judge has requested that her immunity be lifted.
On Monday, Judge Claudio Bonadio accused Fernandez of "being the boss of an illegal association" and running a corruption network between 2003 and 2015. The period covers her two terms as president as well as that of her late husband and predecessor, Nestor Kirchner.
Fernandez is a senator and has immunity from arrest but not prosecution. It is unlikely Congress would lift her immunity.
The corruption scandal emerged in August when the newspaper La Nacion published detailed notebooks from the chauffeur of Fernandez's former planning minister detailing a multimillion dollar kickback scheme between officials and businesses for public works contracts.
The so-called "notebooks case" has implicated dozens of former government officials and business leaders.
Argentina tightens the belt
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'Collusion of officials and businessmen'
In his indictment on Monday, Bonadio wrote that there "was a collusion of officials and businessmen who made this scheme work, which took out with rigged proceedings money from the national state to the detriment of education, health, pensioners, which left the people poorer without sewage, services, safe transportation."
In order to win public works contracts, businesses "needed to deliver a percentage of the total amount paid by the state to civil servants designated by Nestor Kirchner and Cristina Kirchner," he added.
Bonadio also indicted more than 40 former government officials and business leaders, including ex-Planning Minister Julio de Vido.
Prosecutor Carlos Stornelli has put the total amount of bribes at $160 million (€137 million) between 2005 and 2015.
Fernandez also faces trial in a number of other corruption cases.
She has denied the allegations and accused Bonadio of working with conservative President Mauricio Macri to undermine her and distract from the ailing economy.
Fernandez remains popular and is expected to run for president in the 2019 election.
Fallen leaders
Corruption, bribery or power abuse: DW takes a look back at some prominent world leaders who have been convicted in the past five years.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil
Lula has been found guilty of corruption and money laundering for his involvement in the "Car Wash" scandal, an extensive corruption probe that uncovered widespread bribery among Brazil's elites. Lula, who held the presidential office between 2003 and 2010, was sentenced to 12 years in jail. He still has a chance to appeal the ruling.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
Cristina Fernandez, Argentina
Cristina Fernandez, who served as Argentina's first lady and then as its president from 2007 to 2015, was indicted on corruption charges in 2016. She was accused of granting public construction contracts to favored companies. She denies any wrongdoing. Fernandez is now seeking a political comeback, which some observers say is a bid to seek immunity against the charges.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. La Valle
Park Geun-hye, South Korea
Following months of public outcry over a wave of corruption allegations, South Korea's first female president Park Geun-hye was removed from office. She has been charged with extortion, bribery and abuse of power. Park was impeached in December 2016.
Image: Getty Images/A.Young-Joon
Ehud Olmert, Israel
The 71-year-old Olmert, who was premier between 2006 and 2009, was convicted of corruption in 2014. He entered prison in February 2016 but was was released in early July 2017 after his sentence was shortened. He was the first former prime minister of Israel to go to prison. Benjamin Netanyahu was his successor.
Image: Reuters/O. Zwigenberg
Adrian Nastase, Romania
Adrian Nastase was convicted of corruption charges in 2012 and sentenced to a two-year imprisonment term. At the time when the sentence was pronounced, he was the only head of government sentenced to prison in the 23 years following the Romanian Revolution. He was Romania's prime minister from 2004-2006.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/
Charles G. Taylor, Liberia
Charles G. Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2012 for his role in atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. Taylor was the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II. He was Liberia's president from 1997-2003.
