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Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Decries 'Political Persecution' as Cuadernos Case Reaches Second Hearing

She cites a lawyer’s account of 'white torture' of witness Víctor Manzanares to accuse prosecutor Carlos Stornelli of coercion, allegations not adjudicated in court.

Overview

  • Cristina Fernández de Kirchner publicly attacked the reopened Cuadernos corruption trial during its second oral hearing, calling the process a politically driven campaign against her.
  • Her posts claim a cooperating witness, ex-family accountant Víctor Manzanares, was kept in isolation under constant lighting and surveillance for roughly a month at Cavia in Palermo, based on statements by his lawyer Roberto Herrera on TN.
  • She argued that the cooperating-witness regime is being abused, saying so-called arrepentidos should be considered extorted, and she labeled the alleged treatment as 'white torture'.
  • Kirchner singled out federal prosecutor Carlos Stornelli as shaping the case’s narrative and using coercion; she referenced past accusations against him that were later resolved by higher courts.
  • The oral trial includes dozens of defendants accused over alleged bribe collections from 2003 to 2015, and Kirchner also framed the renewed proceedings as a distraction from economic troubles, citing inflation data and criticizing foreign financial ties.