A tribunal in Argentina has upheld a six-year sentence term and lifetime ban from holding public office sentence against former President Cristina Fernández, a dominant political leader in recent years in the South American country.

Kirchner, who served two terms as president between 2007 and 2015 and mostly recently was vice president from 2019 to 2023, was found guilty of defrauding the state and given a six-year prison sentence in December 2022. The case can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.

A court in Argentina on Wednesday upheld a six-year prison sentence and lifelong ban from public office against former president Cristina Kirchner, according to a press report. She was initially convicted in 2022 for the embezzlement of public funds and subsequently filed an appeal but the federal criminal court upheld the original verdict,