Former Argentine President Cristina Kirchner sentenced to six years in prison

Argentine Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was sentenced to six years in prison and a lifetime ban on holding public office.

She was found guilty of a fraud scheme that stole $1 billion, but the court rejected the charge of running a criminal organization, a penalty that could have amounted to 12 years in prison.

The sentence will not go into effect until the appeals are heard, a process that could take years. Kirchner now has immunity from prosecution.

The vice president criticized the sentence, calling herself a victim of the "judicial mafia." She later announced that she would not run next year for the presidency, which she already held from 2007 to 2015.