Latin America

sandensea

(21,658 posts) Fri Oct 19, 2018, 10:00 PM Oct 2018

Argentina's top news magazine publisher denounces "sole objective is to jail Cristina Kirchner"

Politics in Argentina were rocked this week by allegations from the nation's top news magazine publisher that a federal judge close to President Mauricio Macri has as a "sole objective to jail Cristina Kirchner."

Jorge Fontevecchia revealed in an interview with Carlos Pagni of La Nación that Judge Claudio Bonadío, who presides over four out of the five ongoing cases against former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, routinely directs witnesses to testify against her.

"I have testimony from businessmen who say that when they start talking, Bonadío says 'stop, stop, stop' - and that in reality the only objective is for Cristina to go to prison but nobody else," Fontevecchia said.

Fontevecchia, like Pagni, is a prominent conservative figure in Argentine news media, and through his popular weekly Noticias was an outspoken opponent of the left-leaning Kirchner during her 2007-15 administration.

His statement has been echoed by other conservatives - notably Mariano Cúneo Libarona, one of Argentina's most prominent defense attorneys.

"Witnesses are coerced in some cases, and encouraged to lie," Cúneo Libarona said.

In Macri's pocket

Kirchner's chief counsel, Carlos Beraldi, has called on Fontevecchia, Pagni, and radio host Romina Manguel to testify as to possible coercion revealed to them by federal contractors subpoenaed by Bonadío as witnesses against Kirchner.

Bonadío, however, barred Beraldi from calling witnesses. Beraldi was likewise barred from obtaining copies of the contractors' testimony, or from witnessing a raid on her home on August 23-24.

No evidence was uncovered. But Kirchner's housekeeper and two others were hospitalized on August 26 after being exposed to what doctors described as a contact poison left behind in her bedroom by police during the search.

Bonadío, known as Macri's "napkin" (pocket) judge, currently oversees many of the cases involving former President Kirchner or her former officials, despite requirements that federal cases be radomly assigned by lot.

Macri, like Bonadío, has repeatedly expressed his desire to see Kirchner behind bars - though as Bonadío admitted last year, in over six years of investigations no offshore accounts, undeclared assets or other evidence of corruption has surfaced against her.

The same, critics note, cannot be said for Macri, who has been materially linked to 50 undeclared offshore accounts since the 2016 Panama Papers scandal, and whose family retains a large stake in electric utilities - chief beneficiaries of rate hikes of up to 1400% decreed by Macri himself.

Macri is currently grappling with the worst crisis since the 2001-02 collapse. Kirchner, who has not declared her candidacy, is eligible to run for president again next year and would, according to recent polls, defeat Macri by up to 10 points.

At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.perfil.com%2Fnoticias%2Fpolitica%2Fjorge-fontevecchia-el-unico-objetivo-de-bonadio-es-que-cristina-vaya-presa-pero-nadie-mas.phtml&edit-text=

Publisher Jorge Fontevecchia and former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

As Argentina's leading news magazine publisher, the conservative Fontevecchia has seldom agreed with the left-leaning Kirchner - except in that she's the target of lawfare meant to jail her and thus preclude her potential 2019 candidacy.

Polling shows Mrs. Kirchner besting Macri by 6 to 10 points in a hypothetical runoff matchup.

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Argentina's top news magazine publisher denounces "sole objective is to jail Cristina Kirchner" (Original Post) sandensea Oct 2018 OP

This is an interesting turn, isn't it? Judi Lynn Oct 2018 #1

Macri figures that if it worked for Bolsonaro, it'll work for him. sandensea Oct 2018 #2

Fascinating, in an evil way! Those things DO happen in countries unlucky enough to have a fascist Judi Lynn Oct 2018 #3

Judi Lynn

(160,601 posts)

1. This is an interesting turn, isn't it?

Reply to sandensea (Original post)

Sat Oct 20, 2018, 03:43 AM

Oct 2018

Just thinking of that invasion of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's home, based upon bogus charges, of course, and the vicious placement of a contact poison there which put 3 people of her household in the hospital, clearly an assassination attempt, one can only expect their war upon this good woman will intensify. She is surely courageous, and hope she will find adequate and BETTER security starting now, if she hasn't already made changes. These fascists really want her out of the way.

Despicable pocket judge Claudio Bonadio.
What s shifty, sneaky, duplicitous face.

It IS a surprise Jorge Fontevecchia has made the information public. Don't know what it means, but it must be a concession of some kind.

Thank you, so much, for this unexpected turn, sandensea.

Hoping the lady will be safe until the world is safer for her.

sandensea

(21,658 posts)

2. Macri figures that if it worked for Bolsonaro, it'll work for him.

Reply to Judi Lynn (Reply #1)

Sat Oct 20, 2018, 07:26 PM

Oct 2018

But as anyone could tell him, his enemy isn't Cristina Kirchner (who might not run anyway) or any Kirchnerist, Peronist, leftist, or what have you.

It's his own policies - or rather, the IMF's.

The IMF playbook, to recap, is basically:

1) Encourage countries to paint themselves into a critical balance of payments/debt problem, mostly via financial deregulation; this was Argentina under Macri's first two years (lots of applause from the IMF and much of the business press).

2) Once a panic sets in (April/May), lend them just enough money to make sure foreign speculators and the local elite can trade in their pesos for dollars and get out; this was in June.

3) Having given them that window (usually a year or less), they then "raise concerns" and get really coy about further loans - which by this point become essential to avert an all-out collapse; this is the situation now.

4) At that point, they crack the door open ever so slightly to renewed lending if the country in question will dismantle much of its government ("starve the beast," as Republicans call it) and, most importantly, start fire-sale privatizations; these become "conditions" for any further lending.

And Macri? He apparently has his getaway already waiting for him in Spain, where his mamá was given expedited citizenship by Rajoy during his last days as prime minister.

Not sure Prime Minister Sánchez will be as happy to see him though.

Judi Lynn

(160,601 posts)

3. Fascinating, in an evil way! Those things DO happen in countries unlucky enough to have a fascist

Reply to sandensea (Reply #2)

Sat Oct 20, 2018, 08:32 PM

Oct 2018

at the helm. The fact that they are treating the lives of millions of people like trash couldn't matter less. That's what some people get for not having more auspicious beginnings to their lives, and richer parents with powerful allies.

It does happen relentlessly, over time, leaving just enough space for a conscientious, patriotic citizen to step forward, work his/her heart out restoring hope to the country, helping people out of desperation, while the oligarchs start their eternal howling about how much it's all costing people in taxes, even as the people are just starting to see daylight again. By that time, a lot of the older generation has died, and the new one coming into maturity haven't known the shocking difference between a fascist state and a democratic, partially socialized state, and many of them are too uninformed to learn about it without going through it the hard way, like their parents, or grandparents.

Very worthwhile seeing the IMF formula actually spelled out. That is the way it works.

Great post, sandensea. Thank you, so much.

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