For the latest on this story: Argentina’s Supreme Court upholds Cristina Kirchner’s 6-year jail sentence and ban from public office

The Supreme Court will meet on Tuesday at 4 p.m. to discuss the public works corruption case known as Vialidad and decide whether to uphold former President Cristina Kirchner’s conviction. If they uphold the conviction, her six-year prison sentence will go into effect, and she’ll be banned from public office for life.

The Supreme Court’s press office confirmed to the Herald that President Horacio Rosatti called for the meeting with his fellow justices to make a decision. The court is expected to make a decision on Tuesday, although it could also be postponed.

There are several possible outcomes to the meeting. The three justices could uphold the conviction, meaning her sentence is confirmed. They could disagree on some aspect of the ruling, which would require them to call another judge to reach a decision. They could also reject the conviction, meaning Kirchner would not receive a jail sentence and would still be eligible to run for office. 

The case could also be sent back to the Cassation Chamber for them to analyze the sentence.

Even if her conviction is confirmed, she is unlikely to spend time in prison. She is 72 years old, meaning she is eligible for house arrest, which she would likely be granted.

To discuss a plan of action, Peronist lawmakers and leaders met on Monday at the Partido Justicialista (PJ)’s headquarters, where Kirchner spoke to her supporters in the evening. She also met Peronist senators there on Tuesday at noon, ahead of the Supreme Court meeting.

This comes three months ahead of the local legislative election in Buenos Aires province, in which Kirchner is set to run for provincial lawmaker. Her supporters have described the case as political persecution. They view the conviction as a means of banning a key opposition leader and head of Peronism.

Kirchner was first convicted of fraud in December 2022. The investigation, which Kirchner and her supporters said contained “irregularities,” found she had arranged for 51 public works contracts in Santa Cruz province to go to a company belonging to her friend Lázaro Báez. 

Argentina’s Federal Cassation Chamber upheld her conviction last November, paving the way for the case to go to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court upholds that ruling, she will have exhausted her appeals.

Developing story – check back for updates