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Defense lawyers in Kirchner case claim constitutional violations

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AFP

Defense lawyers in a corruption trial involving Vice President Cristina Kirchner that resumed on Monday said prosecutors had violated Argentina’s constitution and its federal system.

Kirchner is among 13 people accused of fraud and corruption in a case involving bribes alleged to have been paid in her Patagonian political stronghold during her two terms as president (2007-15) and that of her late husband Nestor’s in the four years before that.

Prosecutors have asked that Kirchner be jailed for 12 years and banned for life from politics if convicted, although as a senator she would initially benefit from parliamentary immunity if that were the case.

Kirchner, 69, is accused of fraudulently awarding public works contracts.

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The lawyer for one of her co-accused, Hector Jesus Carro, argued that the same case had already been investigated and closed in Kirchner’s fiefdom, Santa Cruz province.

In a federal system such as Argentina’s, the current trial constitutes “interference in local government, in the provincial constitution, causing irreparable damage to the federal system,” argued attorney Mariano Fragueiro Frias.

Kirchner is not due to take the stand until the end of September, with five co-defendants appearing before her.

A verdict is not expected until the end of the year.

Kirchner has not spoken since surviving an apparent assassination attempt last Thursday when a gunman pointed a loaded weapon at her head and seemingly pulled the trigger, only for the firearm to fail to go off.

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Even the vice president’s usually busy Twitter account has not been updated since.

The prosecution has pointed to what it called systematic irregularities in more than 50 tenders over a 12-year period in which the state lost 5.2 billion pesos ($37 million).

Center-left Peronist Kirchner denies any wrongdoing.

She is implicated in four separate proceedings for laundering and speculative damage to the state, amongst other charges.

She has accused investigators of waging a “legal war” against her that is orchestrated by the right-wing opposition.

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International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

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International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.

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