The Justice of Argentina suspects that the president took a bribe of 5 million dollars

The Argentine press published the explosive leak: mobile messages linked to the launch of the $LIBRA memecoin, on February 14, 2025, Valentine’s Day. Among other files, an agreement between the promoters of the business to pay the president five million dollars, in three successive installments.

The disbursement was agreed in exchange, among other things, for Milei to advertise the launch of $LIBRA in her personal X account. He, in fact, posted it in real time, ensuring that the funds were for “the growth of the economy, funding small businesses and ventures,” without explanations or details.

The head of state’s post even included the link 44 digits that interested parties had to type to enter the website and buy $LIBRA, as if indicating the data for a bank transfer. He named the business “Viva La Libertad Project”, copied from his motto “Viva La Libertad, Carajo!”.

Attracted by the apparently serious president’s announcement, thousands of buyers emerged around the planet. In just three hours there were 44,000 wallets buying $LIBRA, whose value started at $0.000001 and shot up to $5.20, capitalizing on operations worth $4 billion.

However, it was striking that a few bots and accounts they bought at the same time as Milei’s announcement, which made it seem like they were warned in advance. Just as the founders of the project owned 70% of the cryptocurrency’s circulation, when the usual thing is that they do not have more than 10% or 15%.

Just when $LIBRA was going from strength to strength, collecting unimaginable loot and appearing to yield juicy returns, the developers executed what is known in slang as a rug pull (rug pulling) pocketing the project’s liquidity and leaving buyers lying on the floor.

The price automatically plummeted more than 85%, despite which three virtual wallets pocketed 80 to 100 million dollars. The scandal was such that it immediately became known among Argentines as the Criptogate and in several countries the fury of the deceived was unleashed.

Now the leaked messages that compromise the president were found on the mobile phone of Mauricio Novellia financial operator friend of his, who contacted him with several tech entrepreneurs in the world of cryptocurrencies. He is a partner of the Spanish Manuel Terrones Godoyoperator with a background in other cryptos.

Novelli had been working as Milei’s financial advisor in the Presidency and contacted him with the American Hayden Davisfrom Kelsen Ventures, and the Thai Julian Phefrom Kip Network Inc, a firm registered in Panama. All of them, plus the Spaniard Terrones Godoy, were gathered at the Casa Rosada.

The judicial investigations also found several telephone calls between Novelli and Milei minutes before the launch of $LIBRA, during and after that event. There were also several communications with Karina Mileisister of the president, and other collaborators very close to the head of state.

Media Argentina wonders if the president received a bribe of 5 million dollars for having advertised $LIBRA. Public suspicions are based on the precedent of CoinX, an investment fund that Milei promoted in 2021 and charged for it, by his own admission, but ended up in a Ponzi-type pyramid scheme.

At the moment, the president is cornered by the leak and until this Monday he was silent in the media. In 2025 he had sworn and perjured not to have pocketed a cent.

People’s annoyance increases because the prosecutor in charge of the case, Eduardo Taianohas had the messages in question since last November but has not named anyone as a defendant. A son of Taiano was appointed as an official in the national government in 2024, according to the press.

The most serious judicial consequence of the crypto scandal is that Milei has been sued for alleged fraud before the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States Securities Commission, along with Peh, Davis and Novelli, co-founders of $LIBRA.