Hotesur-Los Sauces: Kirchner family corruption cases to be heard in single trial
Appeals court rules that Hotesur and Los Sauces graft cases, involving alleged money-laundering and kickbacks linked to the Kirchner family and businessman Lázaro Báez, will be heard in a single trial starting this Friday. Leer más
Argentina's Federal Criminal Cassation Court has ordered that the 'Hotesur' and 'Los Sauces' corruption cases be combined into a single trial, starting on October 23. These investigations, linked to money-laundering, illicit association, and corruption involving the Hotesur and Los Sauces hotel chains owned by the Kirchner family, will be heard together for the first time.
Prosecutors allege that the hotels were used for kickbacks related to multi-million dollar public works contracts awarded to businessman Lázaro Báez, who allegedly paid large sums for unoccupied hotel rooms. The defendants include Máximo Kirchner, Cristina Kirchner's son, and various businessmen and officials. The trial will feature 25 defendants.
Formerly, the court had decided to hold separate proceedings, but this ruling was overturned by the Federal Criminal Appeals Court, which was supported by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the UIF money-laundering watchdog. Judge Petrone argued that the previous decision to split the trials was not justified and that legal considerations regarding multiple offenses were the key factor.
The dissenting opinion by Judge Slokar suggested declaring the appeals inadmissible, stating that the court's decision focused on procedural arrangements rather than the substantive case.
Written by urgent.news from Buenos Aires Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
