Ex-Argentine President Asked to Testify in Corruption Case

A judge in Argentina on Wednesday asked former President Cristina Fernandez to testify in an investigation into alleged corruption involving public works contracts.

Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio also ordered the arrest of at least 10 people, including some former officials who served in Fernandez’s 2007-2015 administration. The suspects are accused of receiving bribes from companies.

Fernandez was called to testify on Aug. 13. She is currently a senator, a post that grants her immunity from prosecution.

The case is based on an investigation by La Nacion newspaper. Its report said the driver of one of the accused kept eight notebooks in which he wrote down detailed information on the payment of the bribes from 2005-2015. Fernandez’s private address and the presidential residence are allegedly mentioned.

Fernandez faces several other court actions in separate cases involving alleged money laundering, possible illegal enrichment and fraud. Fernandez has not commented on the case, but she has previously denied wrongdoing in separate cases where she faces accusations of alleged money laundering, illegal enrichment and state fraud.

In December, Bonadio asked Argentine lawmakers to remove Fernandez’s immunity to allow her arrest on a charge of treason for allegedly covering up the role of Iranians in a 1994 bomb attack on a Jewish center.