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

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