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Argentina drops probe into President Milei and sister over meme coin scandal

By Thomson Reuters Oct 23, 2026 | 2:44 PM

By Leila Miller

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 23 (Reuters) – A criminal investigation into the role of Argentine ​President Javier Milei and his ‌sister Karina Milei in a meme coin scandal was dropped on Friday, according to court records.

Federal judge ‌Marcelo ​Martinez de Giorgi ⁠gave the order ⁠after prosecutor Eduardo Taiano asked for the dismissal, according to local outlet La Nacion.

A judge was assigned ​in February 2025 to investigate Milei’s role in ⁠promoting a cryptocurrency that ⁠crashed. Milei had recommended ​the little-known crypto coin $LIBRA in a posting ​on X, kicking off a ‌brief rally. He later deleted the posting and denied having any link to the ⁠cryptocurrency, which soon plunged.

The investigation had looked into possible fraud involved in the ⁠coin’s ‌launch.

At the time ⁠of the currency’s crash, Milei said ​he ‌had acted “in good faith” ​and accused ⁠his political rivals of trying to take advantage of the situation.

(Reporting by Leila Miller, Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and ​Iñigo Alexander)