A court in Argentina has ordered former president Cristina Kirchner and eight other people convicted of corruption to pay the equivalent of $535 million in restitution, news reports said Tuesday.
Kirchner, a 72-year-old leftist who led the South American country from 2007 to 2015, lost a Supreme Court appeal last month against a fraud conviction for mishandling of public works contracts while she was in power.
That ruling upheld a six-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban on her holding public office. Kirchner is serving her sentence under house arrest, where her supporters have gathered to see her wave from a balcony.
After experts analyzed how much her actions cost Argentina, the court on Tuesday ruled that Kirchner and her co-defendants must pay about 685 billion Argentine pesos, approximately $535 million.
The ruling does not specify how much each person has to pay and it gave them until August 13 to come up with the money.
If they fail to do so the court will confiscate money and other property from the defendants, the ruling states.
Kirchner filed papers in 2023 which said she was worth the equivalent of around $195,000.
News reports said she also owned real estate, which she transferred to her two children some years ago.
Lawyers for Kirchner have not yet said if they will appeal against the restitution order.
The co-defendants were either former government officials or businesspeople. They were given sentences of between three and half and six years in prison.