An investigation published by The New York Times this Friday, February 28 revealed alleged payments through intermediaries to access meetings with the Argentine president, Javier Milei, during a technological forum in Buenos Aires.
The event, Argentina Tech Forum, was organized in October 2024 by businessman Mauricio Novelli, close to Milei, and some of those involved in the $ Libra cryptocurrency scandal attended.
According to the Times investigation, Novelli charged US $ 50,000 to entrepreneurs in the crypto sector for a space as a speaker at the conference and a meeting with Milei, which closed the event.
That meeting ended up being a brief group photo, which was already widely disseminated after the outbreak of the scandal.
Four sources consulted by the Times indicated that Novelli charged them that amount for their meeting with Milei and two others indicated that he requested greater sums for additional time with the president.
Specifically, he would have offered private meetings with the president in exchange for US $ 500 thousand in “consulting services.”
Charles Hoskinson, founder of the Cardano Crypto platform, is one of the sources cited by the newspaper. “They said: ‘Hey, give us something and we can get a meeting,” he said.
The investigation also mentions Hayden Mark Davis, creator of the Crypto $ Libra asset, who claimed to have control over public activities of Milei, insinuating that such influences would have a millionaire cost.
“Everything, from Milei’s tweets” to “all the things of Milei that are publicly presented as appear at events, etc., I have control over many of those things,” Davis said in an audio message to an entrepreneur, obtained by the New York newspaper.
“But, there is a cost,” he added.
Novelli and Davis, who had met at a crypto event in Denver, United States, visited the presidential offices of Argentina months before the Buenos Aires conference and were received by Karina Milei, sister of Milei and Chief of Cabinet.
There is no evidence that Milei had knowledge of Davis and Novelli’s offers to have access to him.
The Argentine government is going through its worst political crisis after Milei published on network X its support for the launch of $ Libra, which, according to him, would finance entrepreneurs and small businesses in Argentina.
The currency shot and inflated its price until the majority investors withdrew their millionaire profits. This generated the collapse of its value and, given the first accusations of fraud, Milei eliminated its publication.
The president said he had worked “in good faith,” emphasized that he spread the cryptocurrency, but did not promote it; and refused to assume responsibility for the victims.