Former Argentine President Accused of Violence Against Former First Lady

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A federal prosecutor formally charged former Argentine President Alberto Fernández Wednesday with committing violence against former first lady Fabiola Yáñez. The prosecutor charged Fernández with the crimes of “minor and serious injuries, doubly aggravated” and “coercive threats” against his ex-partner, according to a decision seen by The Associated Press. González also requested additional evidentiary measures, including testimony from former presidential doctor Federico Saavedra and former presidential secretary María Cantero, among others. Fernández, a leftist Peronist politician who served as Argentina’s president from 2019 to 2023, has vigorously denied the allegations and vowed to prove to the courts “what really happened.” Yáñez testified Tuesday in an Argentine federal court in a case in which she denounced Fernández for alleged gender-based violence. The former first lady testified via videoconference from the Argentine consulate in Madrid, where she resides, confirming to prosecutor González the complaint she had filed last week in writing. The charges against Fernández come weeks after Yáñez’s accusations surfaced among thousands of leaked text messages reviewed by federal investigators in a separate embezzlement case against Fernández. That case accuses Fernández of irregularities in the awarding of public insurance contracts — allegations he also denies. In recent days, the Argentine press has published images showing Yáñez’s face and armpit with traces of what would be blows and that the former first lady would have sent by message to Fernández’s former secretary. Since Yáñez’s accusations were revealed, Fernández has not been seen outside the apartment where he lives in Buenos Aires.