MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine court declares “king of beef” bankrupt as he remains hospitalized in Punta del Este

On Tuesday, Samid departed from Laguna del Sauce airport on a medical flight to Argentina

An Argentine commercial court has declared meat businessman Alberto Samid—widely known in Argentina as the “king of beef”—bankrupt, ordering broad asset restrictions and imposing a travel ban until July 3, 2026. The ruling emerged as Samid was hospitalized at the Cantegril clinic in Punta del Este, Uruguay, and he has now been transferred to Buenos Aires on a medical flight.

 

The bankruptcy was issued by National Commercial Court No. 25, presided by Judge Horacio Francisco Robledo, after Samid failed to secure creditor approval in a preventive restructuring process opened in 2022, according to a decision dated February 16.

 

Verified liabilities total ARS 276.66 million, largely made up of unpaid tax debts owed to public bodies. The main creditors listed in the case include the Agencia de Recaudación y Control Aduanero (ARCA), with a claim of ARS 179 million; Buenos Aires Province’s tax authority ARBA, seeking close to ARS 94 million; and Smart Commerce.

The order imposes an indefinite general attachment over Samid’s assets and requires notices to be sent to registries covering real estate, vehicles, vessels and aircraft. It also authorizes steps to verify and secure assets and documentation at the debtor’s address, and mandates that Samid’s correspondence be redirected to the court-appointed trustee in charge of the bankruptcy proceedings.

The commercial case runs alongside a broader judicial backdrop. Argentine reporting notes that a federal case opened in 2015 over alleged tax evasion and improper withholding was closed on statute-of-limitations grounds in late 2025, while Samid has a final 2019 conviction sentencing him to four years in prison for illicit association and tax evasion, completed in 2023.

The situation was further complicated by Samid’s health condition in Uruguay. His wife, Marisa Scarafía, said he was admitted initially with a urinary infection, but doctors later detected a virus in his blood of uncertain origin and warned of abnormal blood values, prompting a request for an air ambulance transfer to Buenos Aires.

On Tuesday, Samid departed from Laguna del Sauce airport on a medical flight to Argentina, according to Montevideo Portal. Before leaving, he said he was feeling “better” and thanked Uruguayan staff: “Grateful to Uruguay. They treated me first-class.” He added that he still carried the infection: “I’m stable, I’m calm, but I still have the virus inside. I have to go quickly so they can detect what the hell it is. They couldn’t detect it here.”

Samid also reiterated his criticism over the logistics of the transfer, saying he had sought a short flight and was willing to pay for it: “I had to get out of here fast… I went crazy trying to get a 40-minute plane, which I would pay for myself.”