A judge on Thursday ordered Argentina's former president Cristina Kirchner to stand trial on charges of financial mismanagement. It is the first of several cases against the combative 64-year-old leftist leader to go to trial. Kirchner is accused of ordering the central bank to sell dollar futures at artificially low prices, causing Argentina to lose hundreds of millions.
Kirchner's defenders say she should not be prosecuted for what turned out to be a mishandled economic policy. But the accusation cited in the court ruling alleges that Kirchner and the other defendants' actions amounted to "fraudulent administration" of state funds."
Federal judge Claudio Bonadio ordered a court to set a date for her trial, in a ruling released by the High Court's Judicial Information Center. He also ordered trials for Kirchner's former economy minister Axel Kicillof and Alejandro Vanoli, who was head of the central bank at the time.
Kirchner faces separate investigations into alleged corruption. She has branded the probes politically motivated. Kirchner and her late husband and predecessor Nestor had testy relations with Britain and the United States during their 12 years in power. The trial comes at a delicate time for Argentina, Latin America's third-biggest economy.
Mid-term legislative elections in October pose a test for center-right President Mauricio Macri, who succeeded Kirchner in December 2015. Tens of thousands of striking teachers and other workers have staged mass protests against him in recent weeks. They are demanding pay rises and protesting job cuts and price increases undertaken as part of Macri's economic reforms.
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