Argentina opposition seeks prosecutor’s removal in $LIBRA case and warns of possible cover-up
One of the most sensitive findings in the technical report is the reconstruction of contacts between Novelli and the presidential circle on Feb. 14, 2025
Political pressure on the judicial investigation into the $LIBRA case intensified on Monday after opposition lawmakers said they would file a complaint against federal prosecutor Eduardo Taiano before the Discipline Tribunal of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and seek his removal from the case. The move followed new reports published by Argentine media on the forensic review of Mauricio Novelli’s phone, one of the central pieces of evidence in the investigation.
According to those reports, the material incorporated into the file includes a draft agreement recovered from Novelli’s phone referring to a total payment of US$5 million to Javier Milei in exchange for public backing for the digital asset. The document set out three installments: two payments of US$1.5 million and a further US$2 million linked to a later contract. There is still no public proof that the draft was ever formally validated by the government.
The focus has also shifted to the pace of the judicial inquiry itself. Taiano has delegated control over the investigation and can directly order further evidence-gathering steps, including search requests or moves toward formal questioning through the judge. The outlet also reported that the final forensic report was formally added to the case file this month after leaks circulated containing messages, call logs and deleted documents.
One of the most sensitive findings in the technical report is the reconstruction of contacts between Novelli and the presidential circle on Feb. 14, 2025, the day the token was launched. There were eight contacts between Novelli and Milei before and after the X post in which the president promoted $LIBRA, as well as multiple communications with Karina Milei and a late-night video call involving presidential adviser Santiago Caputo.
On that basis, lawmaker Maximiliano Ferraro, the former head of the parliamentary investigative commission, said the probe had been obstructed and argued that political responsibility must now be clarified both in court and in Congress. The opposition’s case is that the lack of visible progress after more than a year can no longer be explained merely by procedural timing.
The government responded with silence and by dismissing the leaks. Chief Cabinet Minister Manuel Adorni said on LN+: “We never talk about versions, press stories or journalistic analysis. That is a part of the file that is tainted with nullity.” Milei, for his part, avoided addressing the issue directly during his appearance in Córdoba on Sunday.
For now, the case remains open, but the focus is no longer limited to the collapse of the cryptocurrency and investor losses. It now also includes the way the courts are handling a file that directly reaches the president, his sister and the innermost circle of the Casa Rosada.
