Argentina's vice president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was found guilty of corruption in federal court Tuesday in a case dating back to when she was president.
A three judge panel sentenced Kirchner to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding political office.
Prosecutors say she worked with others to skim nearly $1 billion from fake contracts and bogus construction of 51 public works projects when she was president.
Kirchner served as Argentina's president between 2007 and 2015 and masterminded a political comeback in 2019, with Alberto Fernández.
Kirchner denies any wrongdoing and spoke right after the verdict, saying she is the target of the judges, whom she called a mafia running a parallel party bent on keeping her out of office.
Kirchner will not be jailed while appealing the verdict, which could take years.
She is a polarizing figure in Argentina, seen by her loyal base as a champion of the poor. Others blame her for the country's continual economic problems including inflation, which is expected to hit 100% by year's end.
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