Buenos Aires — Federal Judge Sebastián Casanello on Thursday formally indicted former Argentine president Alberto Fernández in an investigation into alleged corruption surrounding state insurance contracts signed during his 2019-2023 administration. The judge ordered an embargo of ARS 14.6 billion (about US$11 million) on the ex-leader’s assets. Fernández, 66, was charged with “negotiations incompatible with the exercise of public office,” a crime that carries up to six years in prison and permanent disqualification from holding public posts. The case centres on a 2021 decree that compelled national agencies to purchase coverage from state-owned Nación Seguros, a move prosecutors say channelled lucrative commissions to broker Héctor Martínez Sosa, a close associate of the president. Investigators contend Martínez Sosa’s group garnered ARS 2.25 billion in commissions—roughly 60 % of those paid by Nación Seguros—while his wife, María Cantero, served as Fernández’s private secretary inside the presidential palace. Casanello also indicted Martínez Sosa, Cantero, former Nación Seguros chief Alberto Pagliano and more than 30 other officials and business executives. Fernández denies wrongdoing, calling the ruling “arbitrary” and saying he will appeal. The indictment deepens legal pressure on Argentina’s Peronist leadership, coming weeks after the Supreme Court upheld a six-year fraud sentence against former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in the separate Vialidad public-works case.