Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, former president of Argentina. Photo: X.
The Trump administration announced sanctions on Friday, March 21, against former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and her former planning minister, Julio Vido, whom it accuses of being involved in corruption cases while in office.
The measure, announced by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, involves a ban on both officials entering the United States, as well as their families. In the case of the former president, the order would also affect her children, Máximo and Florencia.
“CFK and De Vido abused their positions by orchestrating and financially benefitting from multiple bribery schemes related to public works contracts, resulting in millions of dollars stolen from the Argentine government. Multiple courts have convicted CFK and De Vido of corruption, undermining the confidence of the Argentine people and investors in Argentina’s future,” the statement said.
This is the first time that the US government has sanctioned a former Argentine president for alleged corruption, coming while when Argentine President Javier Milei is held in the highest esteem by his counterpart Donald Trump, who considers him a model in the region.
Rubio said in the statement that the United States will continue to promote accountability for those who abuse public power for personal gain: “These designations reaffirm our commitment to fight global corruption, even at the highest levels of government.”
According to the local press, Rubio had called for sanctions against Cristina Fernández de Kirchner on several occasions from his position as senator. However, the Biden administration never took action against her. She was, at the time, vice president to Alberto Fernández.
The United States has, however, applied this measure against other leaders in the region. The list includes the former president of Ecuador, Abdalá Jaime Bucaram Ortiz; the former president of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes; the former vice president of Paraguay, Hugo Velázquez; as well as the former president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, along with his vice president, Jorge Glas.
