Cristina Fernández de Kirchner serves corruption sentence at home

In June 2025, a federal court in Argentina granted Cristina Fernández de Kirchner the right to serve her six-year prison sentence for corruption at her residence in Buenos Aires. The court's ruling emphasized her age of 72, security concerns, and a history of an attempted assassination in 2022 as chief reasons for allowing her to avoid prison confinement. The judges mandated she remain at her registered address, monitoring her movements with electronic surveillance. This ruling followed the decision by Argentina’s highest court to uphold her corruption conviction and banned her from holding public office, after finding she directed state contracts to a friend during her tenure as both president and first lady. This conviction sparked protests from her supporters who took to the streets of Buenos Aires to voice their disapproval and block highways. Fernández argues that the charges against her are politically motivated, claiming that the legal process was unfair, and that her defense team did not have sufficient access to the evidence. Critics have long pointed to her role in Argentina’s economic instability, which underwent severe turmoil during her administration, marked by significant inflation and budget deficits. Despite the serious nature of the conviction, the court deemed it more complex to confine her in a prison environment due to her status as a prominent political figure. This decision reflects the complexities within Argentina's judicial system and the enduring influence of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in the country's political landscape, as she faces additional trials for further corruption allegations.