MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

CFK insists Argentina's Judiciary needs reforms

“The Judiciary turned into a political party protector of Macriism and persecutor of the leaders of the different forces that oppose it,” the Vice President said

Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (CFK) Tuesday released a video on social media underlining the reasons why in her view the country's Judiciary needed major reforms.

While anticipating a ruling against her in a trial over irregularities in the granting of public works during her consecutive presidencies (2008-2015), CFK said that under her successor Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) the Supreme Court began a degradation process.

She also admitted on Twitter that she had forgotten to include in the video the fact that the idea of appointing Justices Horacio Rosatti and Carlos Rosenkrantz to the Supreme Court by decree -instead of going through the Constitutional channels- had stemmed from his former aide Fabián “Pepín” Rodríguez Simón, who is currently a fugitive sheltering in Uruguay clinging to his Parlasur lawmaker status, with an international arrest warrant awaiting him for when he leaves that country. CFK also said Uruguayan journalist Víctor Hugo Morales had pointed to her that detail.

The Vice-President insisted that Macrist judges launched a “persecution that still continues” against officials from her administration and that the Supreme Court had “become a place of permanent palace intrigues and power disputes.”

According to CFK, the current four-member Supreme Court after Justice Elena Highton de Nolasco's retirement makes the body “vulnerable” to pressure from other branches and the media.

“With so many dead bodies in their closets, they have no choice but to do what they are told to do under penalty of summary execution in headlines and newscasts,” CFK said.

She insisted news outlets covered for Macri-appointed judges guarantee “their own impunity” and “continue with the persecution.” In a recent ruling, charges against Macri for allegedly spying on the relatives of the ARA San Juan submarine crew were dismissed.

“Thus, the Judiciary turned into a political party protector of Macriism and persecutor of the leaders of the different forces that oppose it, placing citizens in a situation of parole,” she argued.

The case in which CFK foresees she will be convicted involves alleged irregularities in the concession of 51 public works to firms belonging to businessman Lázaro Báez during her administration and that of her husband Néstor Kirchner (2003-2007).

President Alberto Fernández concurred with CFK on the need for a reshaping of the country's Judiciary, which “is delegitimized and urgently needs a deep and democratic reform,” as per a Twitter posting.

“They can talk about the forms and the video of Cristina Kirchner, but let us NOT stop debating the problem and look for a solution. As President, I am still committed to ensuring that Argentines have an honest and independent justice system from political and factual powers as we deserve,” the head of state added.

“During the Macri administration, the Federal Justice built 'doctrines' that turned out to be pathetic instruments to persecute opponents and apply preventive imprisonment as anticipated penalties. They imputed objective responsibilities and shamelessly applied the criminal law of authorship,” the President went on.

Meanwhile, the Macriist opposition Juntos por el Cambio (JxC) alliance issued a statement saying that “Cristina wants to subjugate the institutions and guarantee her impunity”.

“There is a lack of direction, nurtured by a political and moral crisis of the Government, which produces a deep decomposition of the social fabric. Alberto Fernández, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, and the front they lead are the only ones responsible for this disaster,” the communiqué also noted.

The alliance announced it would oppose the reforms to the Judiciary mooted by Kirchnerism, including changes to the number of judges on the Supreme Court, as well as the creation of new taxes. “We will seek to block any attempt of policies that stifle even more the productive sector and the Argentines.”