Fact Check: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner confirmed she will surrender to authorities on June 18, 2023, following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld her six-year prison sentence and lifelong ban from public office in a corruption case.

Fact Check: Cristina Fernández de Kirchner Will Surrender to Authorities on June 18, 2023

What We Know

Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the former president of Argentina, was sentenced to six years in prison and banned for life from public office following a Supreme Court ruling that upheld her corruption conviction. This ruling was confirmed by multiple sources, including the Associated Press and The New York Times, which reported that the Supreme Court rejected her appeal, solidifying her sentence related to defrauding the state during her presidency from 2007 to 2015. The court's decision has left her subject to arrest, prompting significant public protests from her supporters in Buenos Aires, as noted by NPR.

Despite the ruling, there is no evidence that Fernández de Kirchner confirmed she would surrender to authorities on June 18, 2023. Instead, she has publicly stated her intention to comply with the judiciary, as reported by the Buenos Aires Herald. However, she has also characterized the court's actions as politically motivated and referred to the judges as "puppets" of economic powers in Argentina.

Analysis

The claim that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner confirmed her surrender to authorities on June 18, 2023, is misleading. While she did express a willingness to comply with the judicial process, the specific date of June 18, 2023, for her surrender is not substantiated by credible sources. The Buenos Aires Herald does mention her intent to comply with the judiciary but does not provide a definitive confirmation of the surrender date. Furthermore, the Supreme Court ruling did not mandate an immediate surrender; it allowed for the possibility of house arrest due to her age, which complicates the narrative of an imminent surrender.

The sources reporting on the Supreme Court's ruling, including Reuters and Al Jazeera, focus on the implications of the ruling and the political tensions it has created, rather than on any specific actions taken by Fernández de Kirchner regarding her surrender. This indicates that while she is facing legal consequences, the claim about her specific surrender date lacks direct confirmation and appears to be an extrapolation from her statements.

Conclusion

Verdict: False
The claim that Cristina Fernández de Kirchner confirmed she would surrender to authorities on June 18, 2023, is not supported by credible evidence. While she has indicated a willingness to comply with the judiciary, there is no official confirmation of a specific surrender date. The ruling against her does leave her subject to arrest, but the context of her statements suggests a more complex situation than the claim implies.

Sources

1. Prison sentence for Argentina's ex-President Cristina Fernández upheld ...
2. Argentina's Supreme Court Upholds Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's ...
3. Argentina's top court upholds Kirchners 6 year prison sentence. : NPR
4. Argentina's former president Cristina Kirchner is sentenced to prison ...
5. Argentina ban on former president Kirchner reshapes ...
6. Argentina's top court upholds Fernandez de Kirchner's prison sentence ...
7. Cristina Kirchner confirms she will surrender to authorities on June 18
8. Supreme Court upholds Cristina Kirchner's 6-year jail term ...