The legal battles between Cristina Kirchner and Mauricio Macri in Argentina

If you are even just a casual observer of Latin American politics, you will probably have stumbled upon news of former Presidents Cristina Kirchner and Mauricio Macri of Argentina being prosecuted, indicted, or summoned in some way due to various cases of corruption and government abuse. 

This week alone, Ms. Kirchner received good and bad news: she was acquitted in a case concerning transactions relating to her Patagonia hotels but also drew an unfriendly judge in the appeals court. Meanwhile, Mr. Macri was indicted for spying on relatives of the 44 marines who died during the sinking of a ship in 2017.

The cases against Ms. Kirchner started coming thick and fast during the last years of her second stint as president of Argentina, when her popularity waned, but have even accelerated since she lost power in 2015.

As well as claims that funds for public works were laundered through her hotels, she has also faced accusations that she manipulated calls for tender; was involved in bribery schemes; authorized a policy of foreign exchange short selling that ended with billions in Central Bank losses; possessed stolen historical memorabilia; and even that she was an accomplice in covering up the bombing of a Jewish mutual association that left 82 dead in 1994.

Mr. Macri, meanwhile, has dealt with investigations into a post-coup arms sale to neighboring Bolivia; unpaid debts to the state from his family’s Correo Argentino mailing giant; having benefited groups linked to his family in wind farm and toll...