Kirchner has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, blasting accusations as 'big maneuver of political persecution'

Former Argentine president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was charged in a corruption case on Tuesday and slapped with a $630-million asset freeze over public tenders awarded to a businessman friend during her administration.

Kirchner, who was in office during 2007-15, was charged with illicit association and fraudulent administration for allegedly favoring construction magnate Lazaro Baez for public contracts in Patagonia, her southern political bastion.