Argentina sends vice president to jail for corruption
An Argentine court has sentenced Vice President Cristina Kirchner to six years in jail for corruption, banning the country's best-known politician from seeking public office after a trial she dismissed as a political witch hunt. Adored and reviled in equal measure by millions of Argentinians, the divisive former president was declared guilty of "fraudulent administration" over irregular public works contracts awarded during her time as president between 2007 and 2015. Kirchner wrote on social media that "none of the lies were proven" and that she had been convicted by a "legal mafia." "I won't be a candidate for anything, not a senator, or a deputy or president of the nation," in 2023 general elections, she wrote on social media after the ruling. Analysts say it is unlikely that Kirchner will head to jail anytime soon, as she holds congressional immunity through her current role, and still has several avenues for appeal, but the ruling places a giant question mark over her future. "The verdict will have a strong political impact," said political analyst Rosendo Fraga of the University of Buenos Aires, although "the chances of her being arrested for the sentence are...