An official driver writes notes collecting bribes, Transporting millions of bags Locked up, 500 euro banknotes to make them slimmer, and the murder of a tax collector: these are some of the new details in the so-called “notebook case” in Argentina, which began to be broadcast in an oral trial.
Cristina Fernandez, the widow of Kirchner, Argentine president from 2007 to 2015, stands out as a figure in the dock. That’s it He was sentenced to six years in prison for corruption The confinement that he meets with an electronic anklet in his apartment in Buenos Aires. They accompany her on the bench 64 big Business people And others 21 Former officials.
It is discussed in the hearings whether the first ones paid or not Bribes to obtain contracts Public works with the state. The money supposedly went to the official Kirchnerian party and into the pockets of senior officials. This is the largest corruption trial in Argentine history for crimes Illegal associations and bribery.
“It was money Delivered in cash to your home Ernesto Clarence, the financier who brokered the plot by changing pesos into dollars or euros, admitted the Juncal and Uruguay pairs to the Kirchners, in case they were significant exaggerations. Clarence now cooperates as a penitent in exchange for procedural relief.
Christina Kirchner, second square on the right.
“In those cases Muñoz was waiting for me in the hall “From the ground floor of the building,” he said, “I never went up to the apartment.” Daniel Muñoz was secretary to Nestor Kirchner, who held the presidency from 2003 to 2007. And at the gates of that house, in 2022, was Cristina Fernández He was subjected to a failed assassination attempt With a firearm.
Kirchner’s private secretaries and Fernandez always appeared in the circle transporting suitcases full of cash. The aforementioned Muñoz and Fabian Gutierrez both became wealthy and died early. The first was stabbed at the age of 59 and the second was stabbed in a rare incident at the age of 46.
“Impunity is not for sale”
the “The reason for the notebooks” It is based on a memoir written by Oscar Centeno, a driver who transported a high-ranking official to collect stings. Neatly, in clear schoolboy handwriting, he wrote down the businessman they visited, the address, the time, and the amount raised. If you don’t know, I calculated by weight: 10 kilos equals one million Of dollars.
Notebook covers with Centeno’s annotations.
The two former ministers Julio de Vido – already convicted in another case – and Juan Abal Medina, as well as Former secretaries State Ministers Ricardo Jaime and Roberto Barata stand out as defendants. Among Business peopleAngelo Calcaterra is the cousin of Mauricio Macri, President of Argentina from 2015 to 2021, and a partner in several companies.
Before the oral trial, 51 businessmen and former officials admitted their guilt and signed penitent agreements, revealing details of the plot. They even proposed “comprehensive compensation” by returning the money to the state. But Public Prosecutor Fabiana Leon responded with this phrase “Impunity is not sold in the prosecutor’s office”.
Pages from Centineo’s sting diary.
Christina Fernandez confirmed that she was innocent and considered those notebooks “It was not written, it was manufactured.”. For the former president, everything is a “judicial show” aimed at “diverting attention” on the eve of labor and pension reforms. If convicted, she faces a possible prison sentence Up to 15 years in prison.
The hearings are currently not attended by the accused in person Show practicallyvia zoom. But statements from the investigation are expected to begin in 2026 and will have to be submitted to court there. Some are also called to testify 600 witnessesThe experiment may continue until 2027.