President Javier Milei’s embattled cabinet chief used staffers’ credit cards to purchase video game equipment that cost far more than his government salary, newspaper La Nación reported Friday.
Manuel Adorni, who is already under investigation for illicit enrichment over lavish travel and real-estate purchases, bought a console and screen projectors at a total cost of about 5.85 million pesos (US$4,360) in August 2025, La Nación reported, citing unnamed government sources. Adorni earned a monthly salary of 3.5 million pesos at the time.
The Cabinet chief used his personal account on e-commerce site MercadoLibre to make the purchases, but made payments on credit cards belonging to two of his staffers, according to the newspaper.
Adrian Ravier, a spokesman for Milei and the government, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
Adorni has denied wrongdoing related to other claims against him.
The report adds to prior claims that have weighed on Milei, who surged to power in 2023 in part by promising to root out corruption in Argentina’s political elite. The President’s approval ratings remain near their lowest levels, with Argentines ranking corruption as their top concern, according to AtlasIntel polls for Bloomberg News.
Earlier this year, a leaked video showed Adorni boarding a private jet for a family beach vacation, raising questions about how an official who had declared roughly US$42,000 in cash savings could afford such travel.
Adorni has also drawn scrutiny over a 2024 purchase of a weekend home outside Buenos Aires and his financing of apartment purchases in the capital city.
Earlier this month, Adorni acknowledged in a TV interview that he has undeclared savings. He said his wealth resulted from putting all of his savings into Bitcoin more than a decade ago, a claim that has drawn scepticism from crypto investors in Argentina.
Milei has remained supportive of his Cabinet chief, who previously served as the presidential spokesman.
“Manuel is innocent,” Milei said in a Friday interview with newspaper El Observador during a trip to Spain. He also lashed out at what he sees as overblown media coverage in comparison to corruption scandals involving political rivals and significantly larger sums of money during prior administrations.
On Friday, a prosecutor requested a federal judge detain Martín Insaurralde, a former senior official in governments led by the Peronist opposition, after videos surfaced of several plastic bags full of cash hidden in his home.
Milei, however, said that Adorni would face consequences if Argentina’s justice system finds him guilty of wrongdoing.
“If they would find him guilty, I’ll kick him out myself,” Milei said, according to El Observador. “It’s something the justice system has to do. I believe in his honesty.”
by Patrick Gillespie, Bloomberg
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