Former Argentine vice president Amado Boudou received five years and 10 months in prison Tuesday in a corruption trial where he is facing racketeering and money laundering charges.

he was found to be "the criminally liable author of passive bribery (receiving bribes) and negotiations incompatible with the public function", according to the sentence read by the court.

The former vice-president, who was arrested immediately, had pleaded not guilty and had indicated that the conviction against him was part of a political persecution against former officials of Fernández's center-left government.

"Politicians who walk in the lane that the powerful decide, walk without problems, politicians who decide to change reality, are persecuted (...) There is a question of revenge, there is a question of class rematch," Boudou said before to know the verdict.

Boudou faced three counts of "illicit enrichment" dating back to 2009, the year he was promoted from heading Argentina's social security administration to become economy minister. Boudou became vice president in 2011 when Fernandez won reelection. But he was largely absent from public view during that term as accusations of corruption mounted against him.

Boudou is accused of secretly buying Ciccone Calcografica, a company contracted to print Argentina's peso currency, while serving as the country's top economic policymaker.

Boudou, who served under former President Cristina Fernandez, was arrested in early November on racketeering and money laundering charges.