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.
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In a sweeping diplomatic push in Baku, Georgia and Azerbaijan have signed a landmark package of energy and transport agreements, cementing a partnership set to shape the South Caucasus corridor for decades to come.
The first-ever “WUF13 NGO Forum” in the history of the World Urban Forum (WUF) was held on 19 May 2026 at Azerbaijan’s initiative in Baku.
Germany will deploy a Patriot air-defence battery to Türkiye in the coming weeks as part of a NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance’s south-eastern flank, German officials have said.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has called for closer security coordination between Central Asia and China, warning that expanding trade and infrastructure links are exposing the region to increasingly sophisticated cross-border threats.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
United Nations World Urban Forum 13 continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 19 May with sessions and roundtable discussions focused on strengthening dialogue and advancing cooperation in urban development. Organisers say there are nearly 3 billion people globally who face some form of housing inadequacy.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had paused a planned attack on Iran after appeals from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, allowing negotiations to continue over a possible deal to end the conflict.
A 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck China’s Guangxi region early on Monday, killing two people and forcing more than 7,000 residents in Liuzhou to evacuate as rescue efforts continued.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), warning that the situation poses a significant risk of cross-border spread in Central Africa.
Germany will deploy a Patriot air-defence battery to Türkiye in the coming weeks as part of a NATO mission aimed at strengthening the alliance’s south-eastern flank, German officials have said.
Estonia said on Tuesday (19 May) that a NATO fighter jet shot down a suspected Ukrainian drone over its territory, in the latest reported airspace violation in the region amid ongoing Ukrainian strikes against Russia.
Sweden has agreed to buy four naval frigates from France’s Naval Group in a deal worth more than $4 billion, as Stockholm moves to strengthen its defence capabilities in the Baltic Sea, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Tuesday.
Spanish police said on Tuesday they had detained a 25-year-old man suspected of killing his two parents and injuring four other people, including his son, in a shooting in the southern city of El Ejido in Almeria province overnight.
European Union negotiators are expected to agree on Tuesday (19 May) on legislation removing import duties on U.S. industrial goods, in a move aimed at implementing last year’s trade agreement with the United States and avoiding higher tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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