Corrupt ex-president sentenced to live in a MANSION...and she can still give balcony speeches
The three-judge panel headed by judge Jorge Gorini based their decision on the controversial leader's age and personal safety.
The 72-year-old Kirchner shares a residence – valued at $300,000 – with her daughter and granddaughter in the upscale neighborhood of Constitución.
Kirchner has to wear an ankle monitor must seek permission from the federal court if she wants to leave her home, which she purchased in 2015.
The judges gave Kirchner 48 hours to present a list of family members, members of her police details and lawyers who will be allowed to enter and leave the home without approval from the court. Any person who is not on the list is required to receive permission in advance and provide the court with an explanation behind their visit.
The court decision does not limit Kirchner's social media use and will be allowed to step out to the balcony of her second-floor apartment to greet supporters as long as the interactions do not interfere with the neighborhood's serenity.
Quilmes Mayor Mayra Mendoza and Kirchner backer told La Nación newspaper that the former leader was not allowed to interact with her old constituents from the balcony.
'It has to do with a decision by the court: Cristina will not be able to go out onto the balcony to greet people, which she had been doing to have minimal contact with the people who came,' Mendoza said.
Kirchner's lawyer, Alberto Beraldi, said he would be reaching out to the court for clarity because they understood that the controversial politician has to 'refrain from engaging in behavior that may disturb the tranquility of the neighborhood.'
Kirchner's husband Nestor Kirchner was president from 2003 to 2007 and she succeeded him as president from 2007 to 2015.
During her term, the country expanded cash payments to the poor and pioneered major social assistance programs. Her governments funded unbridled state spending by printing money, bringing Argentina notoriety for major budget deficits and sky-high inflation.
Critics blamed Argentina´s years of economic volatility on Kirchner's policies, and outrage over successive economic crises and the country´s bloated bureaucracy helped vault radical libertarian President Javier Milei to the presidency in late 2023.
Kirchner, who served as Vice President from 2019 to 2023 under President Alberto Fernández, was found guilty in 2022 of awarding 51 public contracts for public works to companies that were tied to a close friend and convicted construction magnate.
The agreements were priced 20 percent above the standard rate in a scheme that cost the South American nation tens of millions of dollars, the government found.
Kirchner's administration carried out 'an extraordinary fraudulent maneuver' that harmed the interests of the government and resulted in the embezzlement of roughly $70 million at the current exchange rate.
Argentina's Supreme Court upheld the six-year sentence last week and ruled that she was banned from ever seeking public office.
Her supporters took to the streets of Buenos Aires, where the blocked streets and major highways.
Protesters also raided the offices of Argentina's two main cable networks that are widely considered critical of the ex-leader, Channel 13 and Todos Noticias, smashing televisions, vandalizing cars and shattering windows.
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