Tag: argentina

Argentina’s Milei faces impeachment for promoting crypto scam

The Argentinean president branded himself as an edgy economic genius to ride a wave of financial discontent to power. Now he’s implicated in one of the biggest scams in history, wiping out over $4 billion in a few hours, leaving Argentineans wondering if they’ve also been rugged.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has been accused of fraud, and is likely to face impeachment charges, after he promoted a sham cryptocurrency token which allowed a handful of con artists to dupe crypto owners out of hundreds of millions of dollars in a single day. The scam is believed to be the first cryptocurrency “rug-pull” to have been orchestrated with the help of a sitting president. While the exact number of victims is unknown, around 75,000 people are suspected to have been swindled, and a judge has been appointed to investigate after at least 100 criminal complaints were filed against Milei in Argentina in the days since.

Crypto token $LIBRA jumped massively in value after Milei endorsed it on social media on Feb. 14, posting a link to purchase the coin and lauding the “private project” for “encouraging the growth of the Argentine economy, funding small business and Argentine ventures.” Milei went as far as framing the coin as a legitimate investment, writing, “the world wants to invest in Argentina.”

The URL for the $LIBRA token’s official website, vivalalibertadproject.com, was a clear nod to Milei’s campaign slogan, “¡Viva la libertad, carajo!” The page, which remains online, says the coin was being launched “in honor of Javier Milei’s libertarian ideas” and was “designed to strengthen the Argentine economy from the ground up by supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.”

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Missing millionaire crypto influencer found dismembered in suitcase

Police have launched a murder investigation after the dismembered remains of missing millionaire Fernando Pérez Algaba, 41, were discovered by a group of children in Argentina over the weekend.

The grisly case came to light after the kids found a red suitcase filled with body parts while playing by a stream in the town of Ingeniero Budge, Buenos Aires Province, on Sunday, Jam Press reported.

The children’s parents notified the Buenos Aires police, who inspected the package and reportedly found the victim’s legs and forearm inside, discovering another whole arm in the stream.

On Wednesday, authorities discovered the missing head and torso, El País reported.

The body parts were cleanly amputated, suggesting the work of a professional, local media reported.

Meanwhile, a subsequent autopsy revealed that the victim had been shot three times before the dismemberment.

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Man Tries to Assassinate Argentina Vice President Cristina Kirchner

A man was arrested after a failed assassination attempt on the vice president of Argentina, Cristina Kirchner, on Thursday.

Videos posted to social media sites show a crowd outside Kirchner’s home in Recoleta, downtown Buenos Aires, then a man suddenly pointed a gun at the vice president at point blank range.

The assailant fired his gun at the vice president but failed. The vice president left the place unharmed.

“A man pointed a firearm at her head and pulled the trigger,” President Alberto Fernández said during a national broadcast. He said the gun didn’t fire.

After the attack, the president of Argentina, Alberto Fernández, criticized the attack and asked for a fast investigation to conclude the case. He declared a national holiday on Friday for “peace and harmony to our people so that they can defend life”.

A Brazilian man named Fernando Sabag Montiel, 35, has been charged with attempted murder.

He was arrested by police officers from Kirchner’s security team shortly after the incident. In the attempt against the vice-president, the Brazilian was using a Bersa 380 pistol with five ammunitions.

Since the Argentinean Public Ministry asked for Kirchner’s condemnation, supporters of the vice-president usually gather in front of her house to lend their support. She is accused of corruption and influence peddling during the term of her ex-husband, former President Nestor Kirchner.

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Giant Trove Of Hidden Nazi Artifacts Found In Argentina

The largest collection of Nazi objects in Argentina’s history was discovered outside of Buenos Aires this month.

Around 75 artifacts — including some that were likely used by Hitler himself — were found in a hidden room inside a collector’s home.

Among the disturbing items were magnifying glasses engraved with swastikas, a bust of Hitler, a box of harmonicas, and a scary-looking medical device used to measure heads (an ethnocentric technique used by Nazis to distinguish “Aryans” from Jews).

Authorities suspect that many of the pieces belonged to high-ranking Nazi officials. This theory is supported by photographs found with the collection — one of which shows Hitler using a magnifying glass like the ones confiscated.

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