Argentina's Cassation Chamber to review trial date for Cristina and Máximo Kirchner case

Argentina's Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber is set to examine whether it should force a trial court to schedule the start of proceedings against former President Cristina Kirchner and her son Máximo Kirchner. The case involves allegations of money laundering through the Hotesur and Los Sauces companies.

Prosecutors have been seeking a trial date for two years, clashing with oral court judges who claim they cannot set a date until a supplementary investigation, including an accounting expert report, is complete. This report aims to determine any link between funds transferred by businessmen Lázaro Báez and Cristóbal López to the Kirchners' assets and state contracts awarded to them.

The prosecutor argues that a trial can commence while evidence is still being gathered, a practice seen in other cases. The oral court had previously rejected the prosecutor's appeal, prompting a complaint that has now been admitted by the Cassation Chamber. The chamber will decide if the judges must make a definitive ruling on the trial's start date. The oral court judges have urged the expert panel to estimate a completion date for their analysis.

The Hotesur and Los Sauces case has been awaiting trial for five years. A previous acquittal of Cristina Kirchner, Máximo Kirchner, and other defendants was overturned by the Cassation Chamber, which excluded Florencia Kirchner from the case. The Supreme Court upheld this decision in late 2024, pushing for the oral trial to proceed.