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Argentina ex-leader Kirchner to be tried for corruption: court
 Ol' Spackle-Face finally getting justice? [France 24] Former Argentina president Cristina Kirchner, who has been accused of receiving tens of millions of dollars in bribes during her term in office, will go on trial for corruption, a federal court confirmed on Thursday. Kirchner is accused of running a criminal network related to the infamous "corruption notebooks" scandal -- revealed through the meticulous records of millions of dollars in bribes paid by businessmen to government officials kept by a ministerial chauffeur. The court accepted a request by judge Claudio Bonadio that Kirchner, now a senator, be held in pre-trial detention, but her partial parliamentary immunity prevents that from happening. She is protected by lawmakers' immunity from imprisonment, but not from prosecution. In August, the Senate voted to partially lift her immunity so that investigators could search her three luxury homes -- but unless it is entirely lifted, she cannot be jailed even if found guilty. The court also seized 1.5 billion pesos ($38 million) worth of her assets and ordered former planning minister Julio de Vido to be prosecuted for his role in the illicit association. Posted by: Frank G 2018-12-21 |
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