Argentina: Milei's Cabinet Chief Charged In Corruption Probe

Milei’s Cabinet Chief Charged in Corruption Probe ARGENTINA Argentina Argentinian prosecutors this week formally charged Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni with illicit enrichment, intensifying a political controversy that adds to mounting legal and ethical challenges facing President Javier Milei’s administration, MercoPress reported Sunday. Federal prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita pushed criminal proceedings forward this week, requesting evidentiary measures from a judge to reconstruct Adorni’s asset history since 2022. The case follows a complaint from lawmaker Marcela Pagano, who cited a 500 percent increase in the senior official’s declared wealth within a single fiscal period. According to the complaint, discrepancies include undeclared financial assets and foreign deposits exceeding $11,500, as well as $24,500 in cash attributed to loans from relatives. Authorities are also examining the possible existence of an undeclared property in a gated community in the capital Buenos Aires. Pollicita has requested property registry data, bank records, migration history, and corporate records involving Adorni, his wife Julieta Bettina Angeletti and relatives. Adorni has denied wrongdoing and insisted that he has “nothing to hide.” He claimed his assets were accumulated during 25 years in the private sector before entering government. Adorni, a close ally of Milei and a key government figure, has described the allegations as part of a “political and media campaign” against the administration. The charges come as Milei’s government faces other corruption allegations, including fraud investigations linked to the promotion of the “$LIBRA” cryptocurrency and a separate case involving an alleged bribery network in the procurement of medicines. Opposition figures have called for greater transparency, with lawmaker Maximiliano Ferraro urging Adorni to step aside.