Argentina drops criminal investigation into President Milei over $LIBRA crypto scandal
The decision closes one of the most closely watched legal threats to Milei's presidency.
Argentina's president, Javier Milei, will face no criminal charges over last year's $LIBRA cryptocurrency scandal after a federal judge dropped the investigation into him and his sister Karina Milei, the president's chief of staff. Judge Marcelo Martinez de Giorgi dismissed the case at the request of prosecutors, writing that "the reported events do not fall under a legal category" and that no "criminally relevant deception" had been proven.
The controversy dates to February 2025, when Milei posted on X promoting $LIBRA, a memecoin he said would channel funding to small businesses and start-ups. The token's price surged after his post, then collapsed within hours after he deleted it, leaving late buyers with heavy losses. Opposition lawmakers moved to impeach the president, and critics accused his circle of a "rug pull" — a scheme in which promoters draw in buyers and then exit. Milei has consistently denied wrongdoing, saying he acted "in good faith", that "I didn't promote it, I merely shared it", and that he removed the post once he learned more about the project, adding that investors "knew of the risks".
Context
The decision closes one of the most closely watched legal threats to Milei's presidency, though opposition figures criticised the dismissal and civil suits over investor losses were not part of this criminal file. The case had weighed on Argentina's government since early 2025, and its end removes a source of political pressure at a time when the administration has been pushing its free-market agenda through congress.
Source and attribution
This report is based on BBC News' coverage. Quotations come from the judge's written decision and Milei's earlier public statements as reported by the BBC; NationalNews.pk has not seen the full court filing, and legal challenges to the dismissal remain possible.
