Argentine Judge Lets Cristina Kirchner Serve Fraud Sentence at Home Under Tight Rules

Argentina’s Supreme Court on 10 June upheld the 2022 conviction of former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, confirming a six-year prison term and a lifetime ban from holding public office for steering public-works contracts to an ally while in power.

Fernández, 72, asked to serve the sentence under house arrest, citing her age and the 2022 assassination attempt against her. On 17 June Judge Jorge Gorini approved the request, ordering her to remain in her Buenos Aires apartment with an electronic ankle monitor and to submit a list of authorised visitors within 48 business hours.

Federal prosecutors Diego Luciani and Sergio Mola, who led the original graft case, opposed the decision and have appealed for her transfer to a standard prison, arguing that security and enforcement conditions are insufficient at the downtown property.

After beginning her detention, the former leader asked whether she could step onto her balcony to greet supporters gathered outside. The same tribunal clarified on 19 June that she may do so, provided the gesture does not disturb neighbours or turn into a political rally; any breach could prompt a review of her custodial terms.

President Javier Milei has ruled out any presidential pardon, calling such an idea a “disparate”, while Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva publicly expressed solidarity with Fernández, underscoring the polarising impact of the case across South America.