Federal prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita has requested documentation regarding the estate of Jorge Adorni, father of Argentina’s Chief of Cabinet Manuel Adorni, as part of an ongoing investigation into the official’s personal wealth. The probe, which examines Adorni’s financial evolution from 2002 to the present, follows public statements by the Chief of Cabinet regarding his early investments in cryptocurrency.
The Scope of the Judicial Investigation
Prosecutor Pollicita is currently reviewing the financial history of the Adorni family to verify claims made by Manuel Adorni concerning the origin of his initial capital. According to reports from Clarín, the investigation now encompasses the period beginning in 2002, when Adorni claimed to have discovered cash within his late father’s residence in La Plata.
To facilitate this audit, the prosecutor has requested:
- Salary Records: Detailed earnings from both Manuel Adorni and his spouse, Betina Angeletti, held by the ANSES (National Social Security Administration).
- Blockchain Records: A comprehensive report from the Comisión Nacional de Valores (CNV) detailing authorized blockchain operations in Argentina since 2012 to determine if any official records exist for transactions attributed to the official.
- Sibling Assets: A review of the files involving Francisco Adorni, a deputy for La Libertad Avanza, to cross-reference statements regarding the inheritance found in 2002.
Inheritance Claims vs. Judicial Records
Manuel Adorni stated in an interview with La Nación+ that his initial capital was derived from money found in his father’s apartment following his death in 2002, which he later invested in cryptocurrency. However, judicial records from the probate process present a different financial picture.
According to court filings, Jorge Adorni died with a debt of $23,000 and the family property in La Plata was under a mortgage lien. Legal records indicate that creditors filed a lawsuit in 2002 to execute the mortgage. The property remained tied up in legal proceedings until 2018, when Manuel Adorni, his brother, and his mother initiated a legal strategy to lift the embargo. The property was finally distributed among the heirs in 2023. Critics and judicial sources have raised questions regarding why the mortgage remained unresolved for decades if the heirs possessed significant capital from earlier cryptocurrency investments.
Discrepancies in Asset Declarations
The investigation also focuses on the evolution of Adorni’s declared assets. In his 2024 sworn statement, covering the previous year, Adorni declared $10,211,200 under "Assets received by Inheritance, Legacy, or Donation." By his 2025 declaration, this figure rose to $73,000,000.
The Chief of Cabinet has attributed his wealth growth to long-term cryptocurrency holdings. His declarations include:
- Binance Holdings: 11,019.85 units (entered 03/2021).
- Lemon Cash Holdings: 2,605.83 units (entered 01/2023).
- Bitcoin (BTC): 1,069.69 units (entered 01/2023).
Contextualizing the Investigation
The investigation into Adorni is being handled under the framework of potential illicit enrichment. Under Argentine law, this specific charge shifts the burden of proof, requiring the public official to demonstrate the legal origin of their assets.
Legal experts, including former Financial Information Unit (UIF) head Mariano Federici, have compared the situation to previous high-profile cases involving unexplained cash, such as the 2007 case of former Minister of Economy Felisa Miceli. Federici noted that the lack of clear documentation for early cryptocurrency transactions complicates the traceability of these assets, leaving the defense reliant on the official’s testimony regarding the "found" inheritance and stored documentation. The prosecutor is expected to present a formal request for justification of these assets to Judge Ariel Lijo following the analysis of the newly requested evidence.
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