Adorni alleged illicit enrichment probe now looks into family trip to Aruba

Chief of Staff Manuel Adorni traveled to Aruba in premium-class seats with his family in December 2024, according to findings confirmed by the judiciary as part of an investigation into alleged illicit enrichment. During a hearing on Wednesday, prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita stated airline Latam confirmed the trip and provided information on how much it cost, according to reports by local media. The airline detailed that, Adorni, his wife and two children flew to Aruba on December 29, 2024, and returned to Argentina on January 10, 2025. Each ticket cost US$1,450, totalling US$5,800. According to outlet Infobae, Latam said Adorni paid in cash. The price for the tickets matches the cost for the premium economy seats, the most expensive Latam offers for their flight to Aruba. Now, the judiciary is investigating where the family stayed and how much they paid for their hotel, Infobae reported. On December 31, 2024, Adorni posted a New Years Eve photo with his wife on Instagram where a pool can be seen in the background, although he didnt state where it was taken. Prosecutor Pollicita is investigating whether this and other expensive trips Adorni paid for match his declared income as a public official and where he got the money to pay for them. Also under investigation are two properties Adorni bought since he became part of President Javier Mileis government first as presidential spokesperson and then as Chief of Staff as well which he had not declared as part of his assets. The scandal began after Adorni took his wife to New York along with the official delegation that was accompanying Milei to Argentina Week, an event in the United States to promote foreign investment in Argentina.  The couple flew to the U.S. aboard the presidential plane, and returned on a commercial flight. While Adornis ticket was paid for by the state, it remains unclear who paid for his wifes seat, which cost around US$5,000. Shortly after, it was also revealed Adorni and his family had traveled in February to Punta del Este, a high-end beach resort in Uruguay, using a private plane. The tickets were estimated to have cost US$4,800. The judiciary is investigating several other trips made by Adorni since becoming a public official. Unusual loans As part of this case, the judiciary is investigating two private loans Adorni took out to buy an apartment in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Caballito, on the one hand, and a house in a gated community, on the other. On Wednesday, two women who sold Adorni the Caballito apartment for US$230,000 testified as witnesses before court. The women received US$30,000 from Adorni in November 2025 and they agreed to mortgage the rest with no banks involved allowing the chief of staff to pay the remaining US$200,000 in installments with no interest rates within a year, according to the notary who oversaw the operation, Adriana Nechevenko. On Wednesday, the two women pensioners Beatriz Viegas, 72, and Claudia Sbabo, 64 said in court that they were unaware of the details of the operation and that their son and stepson, respectively, had been in charge of carrying it out. Viegas son, Pablo Martn Feijoo, was summoned to testify on April 22 after Nechevenko said he had suggested the deal and is a friend of Adornis. Feijoo and Sbabos stepson, Leandro Miano, are partners at construction company TJS Group. Nechevenko testified last week, as did two other women mother and daughter who lent US$100,000 to Adorni, which he used to buy his house in a gated community. Nechevenko was the one who introduced them to the chief of staff, she said. Representatives from the real estate agency that participated in the Caballito apartment sale, as well as a contractor who carried out reforms at the gated community house, are expected to testify next week to provide more information on the situation.