Buenos Aires: Former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner appeared in court on Thursday, November 6, 2025, to face new corruption charges, marking another chapter in the long-running legal saga surrounding the influential yet divisive political figure.

Kirchner, 72, is already serving a six-year sentence under house arrest after being convicted of “fraudulent administration” as president. She now stands accused in a separate case of receiving bribes in exchange for awarding lucrative state contracts during her tenure between 2007 and 2015.

The case, known as the “notebooks” scandal, centres on detailed records kept by a former government chauffeur who allegedly transported cash bribes from business leaders to top officials between 2003 and 2015. Prosecutors claim Kirchner led a criminal network that profited from these illicit payments.

Eighty-seven individuals, including former ministers and government officials, have been charged in the case. If convicted, Kirchner could face an additional prison term of six to ten years.

The former leader, who also served as Argentina’s vice president under Alberto Fernández from 2019 to 2023, has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as politically motivated persecution. Her defence team has questioned the authenticity of the chauffeur’s notes, alleging they were altered over 1,500 times.

The trial comes at a sensitive moment for Argentina’s Peronist movement, which recently suffered a significant defeat in midterm elections to President Javier Milei’s right-wing coalition. Milei, who champions a radical free-market reform agenda, has celebrated the result as a mandate to roll back decades of Peronist economic policy.

It remains uncertain whether Kirchner will attend court in person or participate via video link from her home in Buenos Aires. The proceedings are expected to be lengthy, adding further tension to Argentina’s already polarised political landscape.

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, one of Argentina’s most powerful political figures of the 21st century, once again stands trial in Buenos Aires over allegations of large-scale corruption. Prosecutors accuse her of leading a bribery network that operated during her and her late husband Néstor Kirchner’s presidencies.

The so-called “notebooks” case gained attention after chauffeur Oscar Centeno revealed handwritten records detailing years of cash deliveries to government officials. These entries allegedly document payments from construction executives seeking state contracts.

Kirchner’s lawyers have claimed that Centeno’s notebooks lack credibility, arguing that the entries were repeatedly edited and influenced by investigators seeking to implicate her.

The case adds to Kirchner’s ongoing legal troubles and underscores the deep divisions within Argentina’s political landscape. Her supporters view the prosecutions as part of a judicial campaign orchestrated by political rivals, while critics argue that the trials represent long-overdue accountability for entrenched corruption.

With her Peronist party weakened after a heavy electoral loss and the populist President Javier Milei pushing aggressive market reforms, Kirchner’s latest courtroom battle symbolises both her resilience and the shifting power dynamics in Argentine politics.
(With AFP inputs)