Argentina's ex-President Kirchner on trial over public works bribery scandal

Argentina’s former president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, went on trial on Thursday over allegations of bribery linked to public works contracts awarded during her time in office.

The high-profile corruption case, widely known as the “Notebooks” scandal, accuses Fernández and 86 other former officials of taking part in a vast network that allegedly received bribes from businessmen in return for lucrative state contracts. Fernández has denied any wrongdoing.

“Today another show trial begins,” she wrote on X. “They need to keep this judicial operetta alive to maintain pressure and, above all, to distract attention.”

Fernández, a divisive left-wing figure who served two terms as president between 2007 and 2015 — and later as vice president, senator and first lady — has been under house arrest since June following a separate fraud conviction.

Prosecutors began reading the indictment on Thursday, marking the opening stage of a trial expected to run until the end of the year. A final verdict may take years due to likely appeals.

The case dates back to 2018, when notebooks kept by a former official’s driver surfaced, documenting alleged cash deliveries and meetings. Witnesses have implicated both Fernández and her late husband, former president Néstor Kirchner (2003–2007), as key figures in the scheme.

Among the defendants are former ministers and senior executives from leading firms in construction, energy, and transport. Several business leaders have cooperated as “repentants” in exchange for leniency, describing a kickback system allegedly used to fund the Peronist movement.

The trial is being held virtually via Zoom.

The proceedings come amid political turbulence for Argentina’s left. Just last week, President Javier Milei’s libertarian party scored a decisive win in midterm legislative elections, bolstering his mandate to push ahead with sweeping economic reforms.

Copied