MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Alberto Fernández arraigned for gender violence against former companion

Fernández will not be placed under pre-trial arrest given his positive attitude toward the procedure

Former Argentine President Alberto Fernández was arraigned Monday for alleged gender violence against his ex-partner, Fabiola Yáñez, to whom he reportedly caused minor and serious injuries, in addition to coercive threats.

 Judge Julián Ercolini ordered Fernández to pay AR$ 10 million (around US$ 8,300 at the unofficial “blue” rate) and banned him from approaching within 500 meters of Yáñez or establishing any form of communication with her.

Ercolini highlighted the asymmetrical power dynamic between Fernández and Yáñez, noting that the then-President's political and public life contrasted sharply with Yáñez's lower profile. Such an “asymmetry would have been present from the beginning of the relationship and was a determining factor for the configuration of the different violence verified.”

The magistrate added that if the crimes were proven, Fernández could face up to 18 years in prison. However, he ruled against Fernández's pre-trial arrest citing the defendant's “subjection and positive attitude to the process.” Fernández has denied the allegations, claiming he did nothing wrong.

Prosecutor Ramiro González's charges consisted of: minor injuries aggravated for having been committed in a context of gender violence and against his partner, reiterated on 2 occasions; serious injuries aggravated for having been committed in a context of gender violence and against his partner; and coercive threats.

In his 184-page ruling, Ercolini understood that the bruises that Yáñez showed on her arm and right eye were blows by the former president. There were “several elements that show the existence of the habitual and continuous nature of the violence that, in different ways, the accused Fernández would have exercised on the named Yáñez,” the magistrate wrote.