Milei is terrified by her sister Karina Milei's corruption scandals.

247 - Argentine President Javier Milei is experiencing days of extreme tension following recordings that place his sister and main political ally, Karina Milei, at the center of the crisis. The case was revealed by the Argentine newspaper... La Nación and reproduced by The GlobeThe investigation involves the former head of the National Agency for People with Disabilities (Andis), Diego Spagnuolo, and an alleged bribery scheme in contracts for medicines for pensioners.

The recorded conversations attribute to Spagnuolo the description of a system for charging up to 8% on Andis contracts, in which Eduardo “Lule” Menem, Karina Milei's right-hand man, was allegedly the central operator. In one of the most incriminating excerpts, the president's sister is mentioned as the recipient of 3% of the bribes. Karina's silence, who in the past reacted with indignation to accusations about the use of luxury jewelry, now contrasts with the seriousness of the suspicions against her.

The Spagnuolo scandal and the collapse of libertarian rhetoric.

Spagnuolo, a lawyer with no experience in social work, headed Andis for over a year. Known for harsh phrases like "there's no money" when faced with requests for help, he kept a banknote counting machine in his home while preaching austerity in the use of public funds. The recordings suggest that his close relationship with the Milei family may have been exploited to organize the bribery network.

Prosecutor Franco Picardi seized cell phones, computers, and documents from both Spagnuolo and businessmen from Suizo Argentina, a drugstore mentioned in the audio recordings. Lawyer Daniel Garbellini, accused of acting as a collector for the scheme on behalf of “Lule” Menem, was also targeted. According to sources at the Casa Rosada (Argentine Presidential Palace), the biggest concern is the unknown amount of material yet to surface—audio and video recordings that could deepen the crisis.

Silence, contradictions, and electoral risk.

While Karina chooses not to comment, Javier Milei tries to remain aloof from the crisis, repeating the stance he adopted in the $LIBRA cryptocurrency case, which had already called his credibility into question. But the impact now is more devastating: unlike the digital token, treated as a "matter between private entities," the Spagnuolo scandal touches on a sensitive social sector and reveals a mechanism typical of traditional politics, precisely the kind that libertarians promised to eradicate.

With provincial elections in Buenos Aires just days away and national legislative elections in two months, the crisis arrives at a critical moment for the government. Sources close to the president admit that the instability threatens to erode the two pillars of the Milleist discourse: economic stability and the relentless fight against corruption within the so-called "caste."

The unanswered question

It remains for the government to decide whether to protect Spagnuolo, as it has done in other scandals involving close allies, or whether to declare him a "traitor and corrupt." The problem is that his closeness to Milei is undeniable: he participated in private meetings, campaigns, and even represented the current president in lawsuits against journalists.

The crisis highlights how internal relations within the Casa Rosada — dominated by the influence of Karina and her operator “Lule” Menem — have become an explosive risk. One government official summed up the situation in one sentence: “We are in the dark.”