Argentina’s Anti-Corruption Office has determined that President Javier Milei did not interruption immoderate morals laws erstwhile helium promoted the Solana-based LIBRA memecoin successful February.
In a resolution issued connected Friday, the bureau declared that Milei’s Feb. 14 X station constituted a idiosyncratic connection alternatively than an authoritative announcement arsenic a nationalist servant. Therefore, Milei’s station did not effect successful immoderate morals violations, the papers signed by Alejandro Melik, caput of the Anti-Corruption Office, stated.
The Anti-Corruption Office is simply a decentralized bureau that reports to the Argentine Ministry of Justice. Its chief, Melik, was appointed by the Milei medication successful December 2023.
The bureau had launched an probe into whether Milei had engaged successful immoderate misconduct aft the LIBRA token terms roseate and cratered wrong hours of his X station promoting the project. Milei himself had requested the probe and adjacent created a peculiar task unit helium disbanded past period aft it fulfilled its mandate to analyse his ties to the LIBRA token.
The lawsuit is inactive being investigated by an Argentine national court, which froze Milei and his sister’s assets amid the probe.
The LIBRA scandal
The ungraded erupted erstwhile Milei published an X station that was mostly construed arsenic an endorsement by the Argentine President. The station that was deleted wrong six hours and contained links to the Viva La Libertad Project website and the token’s declaration number, which helped investors find it connected Solana, stated:
“This backstage task volition beryllium dedicated to stimulating the maturation of the Argentine system by backing tiny businesses and Argentine entrepreneurs.”
Immediately pursuing Milei’s post, the terms of LIBRA roseate sharply to astir $5, but tanked soon after. Several investors mislaid millions of dollars arsenic the token’s worth fell by astir 95%. The ungraded rocked the Argentine market, adjacent starring to a stock marketplace crash days later.
Immediately aft the token mislaid value, triggering an uproar connected societal media, including allegations of insider trading, Milei deleted the post. In a caller station connected Feb. 15, helium clarified that helium had nary ties to the project, but had decided to delete the erstwhile station aft learning astir the details of the project.
On Feb. 18, Milei said that helium “acted successful bully faith” erstwhile helium “shared” the project, and had, therefore, “made nary mistakes.” His volition was not to beforehand the memecoin but to rise consciousness astir an effort to enactment Argentine businesses utilizing crypto.
The aforesaid day, however, a section media outlet reported that LIBRA co-creator Hayden Davis boasted astir his ‘control’ implicit Milei, acknowledgment to his donations to Milei’s sister, Karina Milei.
Public spot successful Milei’s medication cratered aft the scandal.
The findings of the Anti-Corruption Office
The Anti-Corruption Office classified Milei’s station arsenic a personal, non-official enactment by the President of Argentina. It reiterated that the station “did not connote immoderate governmental activity” since it was published from Milei’s idiosyncratic X account, which receives nary authoritative absorption contributions oregon nationalist resources.
The solution added that Milei’s X account, wherever helium presents himself arsenic an “economist” and not a nationalist official, predates his word arsenic a congressman. The bureau, therefore, declared that the station was an look of his idiosyncratic opinion, a civilian and governmental close guaranteed by the constitution.
The decision was further strengthened by the information that the connection was not disseminated done immoderate authoritative governmental accounts. The papers added:
“…the station nether investigation did not notation to nationalist policies, programs, authorities decisions, oregon announcements with ineligible oregon budgetary effects.”
The station Argentine Anti-Corruption Office clears President Milei of morals usurpation implicit LIBRA promotion appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.