Adorni scandal drags down Milei’s poll numbers as courts probe his assets
Despite the numbers, President Javier Milei and his sister Karina, the presidency’s secretary-general, have stood firmly behind the Cabinet chief
Argentine Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni has been formally charged with alleged illicit enrichment in a case investigating a reported 500% increase in his declared assets over a single fiscal period, according to a complaint filed by lawmaker Marcela Pagano. On April 9, federal judge Ariel Lijo ordered the lifting of banking and tax secrecy for Adorni and his wife, Bettina Angeletti, at the request of prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita.
The scandal erupted after it emerged that Angeletti traveled aboard the presidential aircraft to New York in an official capacity she does not hold, followed by revelations of undeclared properties — including a nearly 200-square-meter apartment in Buenos Aires’ Caballito neighborhood, purchased through a non-bank mortgage of $200,000 granted by two retirees who say they do not know the official — and a privately funded flight to Punta del Este now under separate judicial investigation.
The political toll has been steep. A poll by Innova found that 70% of respondents consider Adorni corrupt. A survey by Trends placed negative assessments of the Milei administration at 59% and, for the first time, showed Buenos Aires province Governor Axel Kicillof leading President Milei in voting intention. Polling firm Proyección, in fieldwork conducted April 2–9, found that 58.9% of those surveyed view the case as a serious blow to the ruling party’s credibility.
Despite the numbers, President Javier Milei and his sister Karina, the presidency’s secretary-general, have stood firmly behind the Cabinet chief. At an expanded cabinet meeting last Monday, the president delivered a lengthy defense of Adorni — a gesture that drew visible discomfort among ministers who regard his position as untenable. Government sources attribute the decision to the absence of a natural successor and to Karina Milei’s refusal to sacrifice her chief political operative.
The erosion extends beyond the scandal itself. Registered wages fell in real terms in January, according to national statistics agency INDEC, with a 2% nominal increase against 2.8% inflation. Household loan delinquency at banks reached 10.6%, nearly quadrupling in a year according to Central Bank data, while non-bank lending irregularity exceeded 27%. A report by the National Technological University warned of a growing disconnect between economic output and employment: private-sector payrolls fell 1.4% year-on-year, unemployment reached 7.5% in the fourth quarter of 2025, and informality climbed to 43%.
Municipalities across the provinces are also feeling the strain. In Sauce de Luna, Entre Ríos, part of public-sector salaries will be paid with food vouchers. In Malargüe, Mendoza, the local government was unable to cover its electricity bill.
