MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Cabinet Chief to face Congress over personal wealth allegations and economic concerns

Adorni, a former presidential spokesman promoted to the post by Javier Milei earlier this year, is at the center of an investigation led by federal prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita and judge Ariel Lijo

Argentina's Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni will appear before the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, April 29, in his first management report, in a session expected to be tense over the ongoing judicial investigation for alleged illicit enrichment and the recent deterioration of key economic indicators. The opposition has filed more than 4,800 questions and is working on a coordinated strategy to avoid provocations that might enable the official to withdraw early, as occurred with his predecessor Guillermo Francos in the Senate.

Adorni, a former presidential spokesman promoted to the post by Javier Milei earlier this year, is at the center of an investigation led by federal prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita and judge Ariel Lijo. The case examines the purchase of two apartments in the City of Buenos Aires and a house in a gated community in Buenos Aires province, financed in late 2025 through private mortgages granted by individuals and, in some cases, not included in his sworn asset declarations. The judiciary is also looking into trips to Punta Cana, Cancún, Aruba, and New York, allegedly paid in cash, as well as the use of a private aircraft for a transfer to Punta del Este. Judge Lijo ordered the lifting of bank and tax secrecy on the official, his wife Bettina Angeletti, and a firm linked to both. According to plans leaked to the Argentine press, Adorni would avoid answering questions about his personal finances, arguing that the matter is “in the hands of the judiciary.”

The session is structured around an initial one-hour presentation, followed by four hours of questions distributed across the blocs — from the smallest to the ruling party and Unión por la Patria — with responses in 20-minute rounds, extending the debate to roughly six hours. Blocs including the Peronist opposition, critical radicals, Provincias Unidas, the Socialist Party, the Civic Coalition, and the left agreed to limit the number of speakers and prioritize moderation, aware that the ruling party “moves better in chaos,” in the words of one centrist lawmaker. The Casa Rosada is preparing a strong political signal: Milei and his sister Karina, Secretary General of the Presidency, will attend the session along with several ministers in support of Adorni.

The opposition will seek to broaden the line of questioning to the economic front. March inflation came in at 3.4%, with a cumulative figure above 9% for the first quarter, against the 2026 Budget projection of 10.1% for the full year. The Indec's Monthly Economic Activity Estimator recorded a 2.6% month-on-month and 2.1% year-on-year contraction, with industry and commerce among the hardest-hit sectors. A report by the Argentina Grande Institute, based on Central Bank data, recorded 4.8 million people in February with debts overdue by more than three months, 45% more than two years earlier.