The justice system confirmed the sentence in the "Vialidad" case, where former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was sentenced to six years in prison for "aggravated fraudulent administration" and to a lifelong disqualification from holding public office. The decision was announced by the Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber in the Retiro courts.
In the context of this case, the signing of Decree PEN 54/09 by Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is highlighted, which allowed for the direct financing of works to Lázaro Báez. The economic damage caused was estimated to be around 84 billion pesos. Former officials of road agencies, including Nelson Guillermo Periotti, Raúl Osvaldo Daruich, and José Francisco López, were involved in the validation of irregularities in bidding and execution of works.
The sentence also confirmed the convictions for other individuals involved, such as Báez, José López, Nelson Periotti, Juan Carlos Villafañe, Raúl Gilberto Pavesi, José Raúl Santibáñez, Mauricio Collareda, and Raúl Osvaldo Daruich. Additionally, the acquittal of Julio De Vido and Abel Fatala in this case was mentioned.
The ruling of more than 1600 pages reaffirms the responsibility of the accused in a fraudulent maneuver that harmed public interests in the awarding of road works in Santa Cruz between 2003 and 2015. The companies linked to Báez were systematically favored. The Cassation Chamber also ratified the seizure of the 84 billion pesos.
This judicial resolution confirms a series of irregular acts and the operation of a corruption circuit. The Supreme Court of Justice must decide on the parties' appeal so that the ruling becomes final and can be executed. The sentence marks a milestone in the fight against corruption in Argentina, showing that justice acts independently regardless of the political positions of those involved.
