Judge orders rival prosecutors to clash over Milei case

Judge orders prosecutors to clash

Judge Daniel Rafecas asked prosecutor Eduardo Taiano to respond to a rival prosecutor's challenge to his handling of the $LIBRA case, creating a rare public split within Argentina's prosecutor's office.

Two prosecutors, opposite views

Taiano, who started the investigation, asked to close it. Sergio Rodríguez, head of the PIA anti-corruption unit, says evidence points to possible fraud and wants to take over the case.

What Taiano saw as finished

Taiano concluded calls between Mauricio Novelli and Milei, transfers of around five million dollars by Hayden Davis, and a note on a purported agreement were insufficient to continue investigating.

What Rodríguez sees as evidence

Rodríguez argues those same elements, plus visits by the Novelli family with bags to bank safe deposit boxes before and after the cryptocurrency launch, show signals of fraud requiring deeper investigation.

“Resultan indicios que refuerzan, en sentido contrario a la conclusión a la que llega el Sr. Juez, la necesidad de profundizar en los hechos objeto de investigación”

Rodríguez's fraud assessment

The PIA chief stated the case is still in its evidence-gathering stage, not its end, and the evidence collected shows signals of fraudulent collusion requiring investigation to continue.

“El estado actual del caso no se encuentra en el final de la investigación, sino en su etapa de recolección de pruebas, las cuales estarían mostrando señales de una concertación defraudatoria”

Taiano faced earlier criticism

In March, lawyer Natalia Volosin published that Taiano had hidden sensitive evidence for the government, including a note on Novelli's phone about a purported million-dollar agreement between Milei and Davis.

Taiano defended his work

Taiano issued a statement saying he had seized phones and ordered analysis of electronic devices, so he could not have hidden evidence. Months later he asked for the case to close.

“Quiero aclarar que la investigación avanza y eso es gracias a mi responsabilidad”

The PIA's next move

The anti-corruption unit asked to reopen the case and take over prosecution from Taiano. Judge Rafecas gave Taiano the chance to respond to this challenge to his investigation.

Judge Martínez de Giorgi decides

Judge Martínez de Giorgi, returning from leave next week, will rule on the PIA's request and resolve the clash between the two prosecutors over whether the case should close or continue.

A precedent from 2017

In a similar case, Rodríguez intervened to stop the closure of an investigation into Gustavo Arribas, then head of the Federal Intelligence Agency, over money transfers he received.

The Arribas case escalated

The dispute over Arribas reached the Supreme Court. Interim prosecutor general Eduardo Casal ruled the PIA could intervene in corruption cases involving national officials and intermediaries, but the court rejected the appeal on technical grounds.

“La PIA se halla facultada para intervenir en todo proceso por hechos de corrupción en los que pudieran estar involucrados funcionarios nacionales”