Argentina’s former VP Boudou convicted of corruption

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s former vice president, Amado Boudou, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of corruption while serving under former president Cristina Kirchner.

The charges related to Boudou’s attempt to buy a company that printed currency through a front business while serving as Kirchner’s economy minister. A court found the 55-year-old guilty of "passive bribery" and conduct "incompatible" with his duties as a public servant, sentencing him to five years and 10 months in prison.

Boudou, who served in Kirchner’s cabinet from 2009 to 2015, has been banned for life from holding public office. His lawyers are expected to appeal the conviction.

Argentina has recently been rocked by another major corruption scandal involving top political and business figures and compared to neighboring Brazil’s sprawling Operation Car Wash probe.