Argentinian President Milei skips civil hearing as Libra case judge orders bank records unsealed

A judge asked Argentina's central bank to revoke President Javier Milei's bank secrecy privileges as investigators looking into Milei's dealings with the team behind the $LIBRA token project probe his finances and those of his associates, including his sister.

Local news site Pagina12 reported Federal Judge María Servini, presiding over the Libra case, asked the country's Central Bank to unseal the president's accounts and those of Karina Milei, his sister, who reportedly engaged with some of the Libra co-founders ahead of the token's launch.

The launch and subsequent collapse of the Libra token has become a significant scandal for Mr. Milei; dubbed "CryptoGate" by the country's media, Milei has faced calls for impeachment and fraud charges after he promoted and then revoked his promotion for a new crypto asset. Its plunge in value led investors to lose millions as the token crashed 90% in mere hours.

Judge Servini previously ordered a freeze of the finances of three co-founders of the Libra memecoin, according to Pagina12, which said prosecutors are also reviewing video evidence of one of the co-founders' mother and sister allegedly emptying bank safe-deposit boxes on the day after Milei's promotion of the token.

The President and his sister also declined to show up for a mediation hearing in a prelude to a possible civil suit, Pagina12 reported. The summons was issued by an Argentine lawyer representing 25 foreign and native victims of the debacle.

Milei has denied any wrongdoing, downplaying the idea that many Argentinians lost money and arguing he just intended to promote the project as a "super technology enthusiast."