Manuel Adorni’s Controversial Apartment Purchase Sparks Legal Probe

Argentina’s Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni is under investigation for alleged illicit enrichment following the discovery of several high-value real estate transactions and financial inconsistencies that do not align with his declared income.

The investigation centers on a nearly 200-square-meter apartment located on Miró Street in the Caballito neighborhood of Buenos Aires. According to records from the National Property Registry, Adorni purchased the property in November 2025 for $230,000.

The purchase occurred 14 days after Adorni was appointed as Cabinet Chief. The transaction was financed primarily through a $200,000 non-bank mortgage provided by the sellers, Beatriz Viegas and Claudia Sbabo, which covered 87% of the total price. A notary who handled the deed stated that the apartment was purchased to be paid within one year and without interest.

Both Viegas, a 72-year-old retiree, and Sbabo told La Nación that they do not know the official. Further reports indicate that the son of one of the financiers was the person who originally reserved the apartment before Adorni purchased it.

Asset Discrepancies and Legal Probes

The financing of the Caballito apartment does not match the assets Adorni declared to the Anti-Corruption Office. Lawmaker Marcela Pagano, who filed the original complaint, stated that Adorni’s net worth grew by 500% in a single fiscal period.

Pagano identified several discrepancies in the official’s filings, including undisclosed financial assets and overseas deposits exceeding 16 million pesos, as well as $24,500 in cash attributed to family loans. The purchase of the Caballito apartment and the sale of a previous home in the Parque Chacabuco neighborhood were omitted from his most recent sworn asset declaration.

Beyond the Caballito property, investigators are examining a house in a gated community at the Indio Cuá Golf Club in Exaltación de la Cruz, Buenos Aires province. This property was acquired in November 2025 and is registered in the name of Adorni’s wife, Julieta Bettina Angeletti.

The Justice system opened an investigation into Adorni’s finances on March 15, 2026. Prosecutors are examining the unusual mortgages and alleged omissions in asset declarations, as well as reports that two members of the Federal Police lent Adorni $100,000.

Broadening Investigation

The scope of the probe has expanded to include luxury travel and the use of third-party intermediaries. Journalistic investigations highlighted a trip taken by Adorni’s wife to New York using the presidential aircraft, as well as private jet flights to Punta del Este, Uruguay.

As part of the ongoing legal process, authorities have carried out raids on three branches of the real estate agency that intervened in the sale of the Caballito apartment.

These developments have created a credibility crisis for the official, who has been reported as considering a run for mayor in the Buenos Aires City elections this year. The probes into his assets and travel coincide with a broader period of political pressure on President Javier Milei’s administration.