Switzerland blocks accounts linked to Argentinian Kirchner corruption
Accounts at two Swiss banks containing CHF5 million ($5.4 million) have been frozen in connection with corruption by former Argentine presidents Néstor and Cristina Kirchner.
The Swiss Supreme Court denied an appeal for the money to be released in a ruling made public on Thursday.
Néstor and Cristina Kirchner are said to have made millions of dollars by awarding corrupt state contracts whilst in power.
Néstor Krchner was Argentina’s president from 2003 to 2007 and died in 2010.
His wife Cristina was president of the South American country between 2007 and 2015. Whilst serving as vice-president earlier this month, she was sentenced to a six-year prison sentence for corruption.
Argentina asked Switzerland for legal assistance in 2018 and 2020 in relation to the corruption probe. The Swiss authorities were also asked to freeze accounts at two banks.
The decision to comply with the request to freeze assets was appealed to the Supreme Court, which has upheld the blocking of funds.
In compliance with the JTI standards
More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.