Argentine President Javier Milei’s chief of staff, Manuel Adorni, resigned this Saturday (27) following a scandal that led to investigations into his spending in recent years.
Adorni, appointed chief of staff in November last year, is a close confidant of Milei, who had initially appointed him as her spokesman shortly after taking office in December 2023.
“For the first time since December 10, 2023, I am going against your wishes,” said Adorni in his resignation letter to Milei, published on the social network X.
“I am closing this chapter. I leave in peace and serenity, but, above all, with a clear conscience,” he added.
Thank you for your trust President. It has been a true honor.
Fin.
— Manuel Adorni (@madorni)
Adorni was accused of unjust enrichment due to expenses that appear inconsistent with his income.
He has come under fire for several personal trips he took with his family, including a first class holiday to Aruba over the Christmas period and a private jet flight to Uruguay around Carnival time.
Adorni stated that he built his wealth before joining the government and that all trips taken with his family were paid for with his own resources.
“I did not commit any crime and I will prove it in court,” he told Congress at the end of April, when he made a statement about the country’s situation.
However, this month he admitted in an interview with the newspaper La Nación that he kept undeclared money for years, “like all Argentines”. He reported amending the 2023 and 2024 returns to include about half a million dollars that had not previously been declared.
“I make a mea culpa for having made an unintentional mistake, and I will pay everything that is owed,” he declared.
previously, telling La Nación in May that “there was no way Adorni would leave” and that he “wouldn’t convict an innocent person”.
In recent weeks, Milei began to face the repercussions of allegations of alleged corruption in his government, as well as the loss of purchasing power in the face of inflation.
According to an Opina Argentina survey carried out in May, 39% of voters have a positive image of Milei, whose approval rating was 53% more than a year ago.
