Karina Milei

Karina Milei
Official portrait, 2024.
General Secretary of the Presidency
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 December 2023
PresidentJavier Milei
Vice PresidentVictoria Villarruel
Preceded byJulio Vitobello
Personal details
BornKarina Elizabeth Milei
(1972-03-28) 28 March 1972
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Citizenship
  • Argentina
  • Italy (since 2024)
PartyParties:
Libertarian (2019–2024)
La Libertad Avanza (since 2024)
Other political
affiliations
Coalitions:
La Libertad Avanza (since 2021)
RelativesJavier Milei (brother)
Alma mater

Karina Elizabeth Milei[a] (born 28 March 1972) is an Argentine politician who has served as General Secretary of the Presidency of the Argentine Nation since December 2023. She was appointed by her older brother, President of Argentina Javier Milei,[1] having managed his successful presidential campaign. Javier often refers to her as "The Boss" ("El Jefe" in Spanish, using the male form of the noun instead of the feminine "La Jefa"), always highlighting her as one of his main advisors.[2][3] She has also been the president of La Libertad Avanza since its foundation in September 2024.

Life and career

She was born in Buenos Aires in 1972, two years after her brother, Javier Milei. They are the only children of the marriage of Norberto Milei and Alicia Lucich. Javier remained distant from his parents, with Karina being his only family member with whom he maintained contact for many years. According to CNN and the BBC, Javier suffered from bullying and domestic violence. Karina was at that time the only psychological support during his childhood.[4] Despite the hermeticism of Karina, in some interviews Javier confirmed some aspects of his relationship with her. He stated that their father subjected him to severe beatings and he tried to seek protection from his sister.[5] Javier compared his sister with Moses, stating: "She is Moses, I am just a popularizer".[6]

She holds a degree in public relations from the Argentine University of Enterprise and also studied marketing at the University of Belgrano. Before she participated in politics with her brother, she was his finance manager. Karina also studied to be a pastry chef, sculptor and tarot reader, activities that she did as hobbies and work.[7]

The nomination of Karina as General Secretary of the Presidency on 10 December 2023, was made possible after Javier was inaugurated as President on the same day, and one of his first acts was the modification of a decree, that was passed by his predecessor Mauricio Macri, which prohibited the nomination of relatives of the President to Cabinet positions.[8]

After seven months in office, her approval rating, published monthly by the University of San Andres, was 56.1% negative and 35.5% positive.[9]

Milei with her brother Javier and Donald Trump in February 2025

In February 2025, Hayden Mark Davis, a key figure behind the cryptocurrency $Libra, alleged that he had bribed Karina Milei to influence her brother’s decisions.[10] Moreover, Davis, issued a statement in which he claimed to have been an advisor to the Argentine government. He asserted that government officials had assured him they would support the project, and described the government’s decision to delete its endorsement post as abrupt, further stating that Libra’s investors felt betrayed by this development. [11]

She has no children nor a known partner. Her interest in esotericism, as well as her relationship with her brother Javier, rumors about her influence on him, on his political career and on his political positions, have attracted a lot of media attention in Argentina.[12]

Controversies

Spagnuolo audio scandal

In August 2025, audio recordings were made public in the mass media in which the head of ANDIS, Diego Spagnuolo, who had also served as lawyer to President Javier Milei, alleged acts of corruption reaching the highest levels of the executive branch. In the recordings, Karina Milei was mentioned and accused of receiving a kickback of 3% from medications purchased by ANDIS. Other officials mentioned included Martín Menem, president of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina, and Eduardo "Lule" Menem, a subordinate of Karina Milei. Spagnuolo was removed from his post at ANDIS and the government intervened in the institution. Argentine authorities seized Spagnuolo's mobile phones and carried out raids on the main pharmaceutical supplier involved, Suizo Argentina. At the same time, the existence of additional recordings allegedly involving Karina Milei was announced.[13][14][15][16][17]

The fact-checking organization Chequeado commissioned a technical analysis from the specialized consultancy BlackVOX, which, using the software Forensia, compared the recordings with Spagnuolo's public records on YouTube and concluded that there was "strong evidence" of correspondence between the two voices.[13][18]

The national government prohibited the dissemination of the recordings and denounced an alleged international intelligence operation involving local journalists and even the governments of Russia[19] and Venezuela. The prohibition on dissemination of the recordings was also denounced by the parliamentary opposition as a case of censorship.[20]

The audio scandal generated major national and international repercussions[21][22] that affected Karina Milei's role in her brother's government.

Judicial proceedings

Relationship diagram in the alleged ANDIS kickback case.

On 21 August 2025, attorney Gregorio Dalbón filed a criminal complaint following the dissemination of the audio recordings attributed to Diego Spagnuolo.[23] The case was assigned to Federal Criminal and Correctional Court No. 11, under federal judge Sebastián Casanello,[24] with prosecutor Franco Picardi involved in the proceedings.[25] In that context, searches were ordered and telephones and other electronic devices were seized.[26][27][28][29][30] The investigation continued under seal until 18 September, when the restriction was lifted.[31]

On 1 September, federal civil and commercial judge Patricio Maraniello issued a precautionary measure ordering "the immediate cessation of the dissemination" of the recordings in which Karina Milei was mentioned, both in the media and on social networks.[32][33][34] The ruling held that the disclosure constituted "a serious violation of institutional privacy".[35] On 18 September, when the seal was lifted, the parties were able to access the court file. At that stage, a report by the Directorate General for Investigations and Technological Support (DATIP) stated that Spagnuolo had deleted messages from his mobile phone and had attempted to access his WhatsApp account from another device before handing over the handset to the court.[36] As part of the file, the prosecution incorporated the witness statement of businessman Luis Cella, who acknowledged efforts to have Prevent S.A. included as a supplier to the Incluir Salud program and described an alleged scheme of agreements among pharmaceutical distributors to fix prices and divide patients among themselves.[37] The testimony was accompanied by emails exchanged with Diego Spagnuolo that, according to the prosecutorial filing, reflected tensions over the exclusion of the company and possible coordination among suppliers in the sector.[38]

On 18 November, official Ornella Calvete—then National Director for Regional and Sectoral Development at the Ministry of Economy and the government's representative on the Special Customs Area Commission—tendered her resignation after her name appeared in the case.[39] The measure came after a search of her home in which US$700,000 was seized, the origin of which could not be justified at that time.[40] At the same time, her father, Miguel Ángel Calvete, identified by the prosecution as an informal intermediary with direct ties to Spagnuolo and various pharmaceutical distributors, was summoned for questioning but refused to testify before Casanello and prosecutor Picardi.[41] The filing places him as one of the central figures in the alleged scheme, with influence over the agency's decisions and direct contact with suppliers in the sector.[42]

At this stage, prosecutor Picardi also detailed various indications that would implicate Spagnuolo, including alleged money movements linked to Calvete, an unjustified increase in wealth, the existence of undeclared foreign currency and the submission to the court of a phone with deleted information. During the search of his home, a bill-counting machine was also found, which was considered relevant to the investigation.[43] On 19 November, Diego Spagnuolo was summoned for questioning at the federal courts in Comodoro Py.[44] The former ANDIS director appeared before Judge Casanello and prosecutor Picardi, but refused to testify and did not answer questions, although he informally denied the acts imputed to him.[45] His lawyer, Mauricio D'Alessandro, publicly argued that the recordings attributed to Spagnuolo had been "manipulated with artificial intelligence" and that the defense had submitted an expert report allegedly showing this, a position that will be examined in judicial proceedings.[46] According to the prosecutorial filing, Spagnuolo played a "key" role in the alleged scheme of steering purchases, improper payments and financial maneuvers within the agency, and maintained an operational relationship with Miguel Ángel Calvete and other defendants.[47]

Honours

Milei being awarded with the Grand Cross of the Order of Ipiranga with São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas in December 2024

References

  1. ↑ "Sister, vice-president, girlfriend – the women in Javier Milei's inner circle". Buenos Aires Times. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "3 datos sobre Karina Milei, la hermana del presidente de Argentina a quien él mismo llama "El Jefe"" [3 facts about Karina Milei, the sister of Argentina's president whom he himself calls "The Boss"] (in Spanish). BBC. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  3. ↑ "Javier Milei le presentó a su hermana a Volodimir Zelensky con un frase en inglés: "She is the real boss"" [Javier Milei introduced his sister to Volodymyr Zelensky with a phrase in English: "She is the real boss"] (in Spanish). La Nación. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "¿Quién es Karina Milei, "El Jefe" de la exitosa campaña presidencial de Javier Milei?" [Who is Karina Milei, "The Boss" of Javier Milei's successful presidential campaign?] (in Spanish). CNN en Español. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "Karina Milei, Argentina's ubiquitous new 'first lady'". Le Monde. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  6. ↑ "Quién es Karina Milei, hermana pequeña y estratega del nuevo presidente de Argentina" [Who is Karina Milei, younger sister and strategist of Argentina's new president] (in Spanish). El País. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Juan González: "Dios le dijo a Milei que se tenía que meter en política para luchar contra 'el Maligno'"" [Juan González: "God told Milei that he had to get into politics to fight against 'the Evil One'"] (in Spanish). Newsweek. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  8. ↑ "Javier Milei limitó el alcance de un decreto de Mauricio Macri para designar a su hermana como secretaria general de la Presidencia" [Javier Milei limited the scope of a Mauricio Macri decree to appoint his sister as secretary general of the Presidency] (in Spanish). Clarín. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Las encuestas indican una alta insatisfacción con el Gobierno de Javier Milei" [Polls indicate high dissatisfaction with Javier Milei's government] (in Spanish). La Voz de Galicia. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  10. ↑ Dye, Daniel (19 February 2025). "Milei Crypto Scandal Widens With Allegations Against His Sister". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  11. ↑ https://www.c5n.com/politica/hablo-el-creador-libra-la-cripto-presidencial-soy-asesor-javier-milei-n191088
  12. ↑ "Milei posts bizarre list rejecting 'fake news,' denies having sex with his sister". Buenos Aires Herald. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  13. 1 2 Giménez, José (1 September 2025). "Diego Spagnuolo, el ex titular de la ANDIS despedido tras hablar de presuntas coimas, es una de las 4 personas que más visitó a Milei en Olivos" [Diego Spagnuolo, the former head of ANDIS dismissed after speaking about alleged kickbacks, is one of the four people who visited Milei most often at Olivos]. Chequeado (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "Presuntas coimas en la ANDIS: el asesor de La Libertad Avanza declaró y habló de su vínculo con Spagnuolo" [Alleged kickbacks in ANDIS: La Libertad Avanza adviser testified and spoke about his relationship with Spagnuolo]. Río Negro (in Spanish). General Roca, Río Negro: Editorial Río Negro S.A. 11 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  15. ↑ Miller, Leila (22 August 2025). "Argentine authorities probe Milei official over bribery accusations, media report" [Argentine authorities investigate Milei official over bribery accusations, media report says]. Reuters. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Parada, Antón (21 August 2025). "Denunciados por corrupción el presidente argentino, Javier Milei, y su hermana Karina: mordidas con medicinas" [Argentine president Javier Milei and his sister Karina accused of corruption: kickbacks from medicines]. HuffPost (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  17. ↑ Debre, Isabel (7 September 2025). "Secret audios, dramatic leaks, spying claims: A bribery scandal engulfs Argentina's Milei" [Secret audios, dramatic leaks, spying claims: a bribery scandal engulfs Argentina's Milei]. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "Los audios de Spagnuolo: habla de presuntas coimas con prestadores y funcionarios de alto rango" [The Spagnuolo recordings: he speaks of alleged kickbacks involving providers and high-ranking officials]. Diario Los Andes (in Spanish). 21 August 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Alconada Mon, Hugo (3 September 2025). "El "capítulo ruso" de la denuncia de Patricia Bullrich cosecha críticas y cuestionamientos" [The "Russian chapter" of Patricia Bullrich's complaint draws criticism and questions]. La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  20. ↑ Millenaar, Federico (2 September 2025). "Jorge Rial y Mauro Federico expusieron en Diputados tras la denuncia del Gobierno por la difusión de audios" [Jorge Rial and Mauro Federico testified in the Chamber of Deputies after the government's complaint over the dissemination of the recordings]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  21. ↑ "Entre escándalos y filtraciones, Karina Milei busca afianzar el poder de su hermano en Argentina" [Amid scandals and leaks, Karina Milei seeks to consolidate her brother's power in Argentina]. The New York Times (in Spanish). 6 September 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
  22. ↑ Centenera, Mar (23 August 2025). "Quién es quién en el escándalo por corrupción que toca a Milei y su hermana Karina" [Who is who in the corruption scandal involving Milei and his sister Karina]. El País (in Spanish).
  23. ↑ "Una denuncia de Gregorio Dalbón, el abogado de Cristina, originó los sorpresivos allanamientos por los audios de presuntas coimas en discapacidad" [A complaint by Gregorio Dalbón, Cristina's lawyer, prompted the surprise searches over the audio recordings of alleged kickbacks in disability matters]. Clarín (in Spanish). 22 August 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  24. ↑ Ávila, Ronald Alexander; Latourrette, Agustina (28 August 2025). "Las duras semanas de Javier Milei: escándalo de corrupción, caída de la popularidad y apedreado en plena campaña electoral en Argentina" [Javier Milei's difficult weeks: corruption scandal, declining popularity and pelted during the electoral campaign in Argentina]. BBC News (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  25. ↑ Rodríguez, Laura (21 August 2025). "Gregorio Dalbón: "Si no van para adelante con esta causa, no tenemos destino como país"" [Gregorio Dalbón: "If this case does not move forward, we have no future as a country"]. Radio Provincia / AM 1270 / FM 97.UNE (in Spanish). Radio Pública de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  26. ↑ "Argentine officials deny disability agency medicine bribe claims" [Funcionarios argentinos niegan acusaciones de soborno a médicos de agencias de discapacidad]. Buenos Aires Herald. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  27. ↑ "Andis. Causa por coimas: allanaron propiedades de Spagnuolo, hallaron U$S 80.000 y renunciaron sus abogados" [ANDIS. Kickback case: Spagnuolo's properties were searched, US$80,000 was found and his lawyers resigned]. La Voz (in Spanish). 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  28. ↑ Centenera, Mar (22 August 2025). "Audios, allanamientos y un alto cargo despedido: un caso de corrupción acecha a Milei y su hermana" [Audio recordings, searches and a senior official dismissed: a corruption case haunts Milei and his sister]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  29. ↑ Vieyra, Iago (9 September 2025). "Diego Spagnuolo evitó pedir la nulidad de la causa de las coimas en Andis y no descarta convertirse en arrepentido" [Diego Spagnuolo avoided seeking nullification of the ANDIS kickback case and does not rule out becoming a cooperating witness]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  30. ↑ ""Sí, el dueño de la droguería es vecino": las reacciones de quienes viven cerca de los hermanos Kovalivker, luego del allanamiento en un exclusivo barrio de Nordelta" ['"Yes, the owner of the pharmaceutical company is a neighbor": reactions from people living near the Kovalivker brothers after the search in an exclusive Nordelta neighborhood']. Infobae (in Spanish). 26 August 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  31. ↑ Castro, Manuela. "Allanamientos y miles de dólares secuestrados: el escándalo por presunta corrupción que acecha a Karina Milei en Argentina" [Searches and thousands of dollars seized: the alleged corruption scandal haunting Karina Milei in Argentina] (in Spanish). CNN en Español. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  32. ↑ Tobias, Manuela (1 September 2025). "Argentine Judge bans release of Karina Milei audios amid scandal" [Argentine judge bans release of Karina Milei audios amid scandal]. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  33. ↑ Miller, Leila (1 September 2025). "Argentina federal judge bars publication of audios attributed to Milei's sister" [Argentina federal judge bars publication of audios attributed to Milei's sister]. Reuters. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  34. ↑ "Argentina: RSF warns of immense threat to press freedom as court imposes prior censorship of leaked Karina Milei recordings" [Argentina: RSF warns of immense threat to press freedom as court imposes prior censorship of leaked Karina Milei recordings]. Reporters Without Borders. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  35. ↑ "Justicia argentina frena difusión de grabaciones de Karina Milei por petición del Gobierno" [Argentine justice halts the dissemination of recordings of Karina Milei at the government's request]. Swissinfo (in Spanish). 1 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  36. ↑ "Escándalo de los audios: se confirmó que Spagnuolo borró mensajes de su celular antes de entregarlo a la Justicia" [Audio scandal: it was confirmed that Spagnuolo deleted messages from his cellphone before handing it over to the courts]. Perfil (in Spanish). 19 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  37. ↑ "Empresario complica a Spagnuolo en la causa ANDIS" [Businessman complicates matters for Spagnuolo in the ANDIS case]. Diario El Argentino (in Spanish). 18 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  38. ↑ "Causa ANDIS: empresario admitió gestiones ante Diego Spagnuolo y reveló presuntos acuerdos ilegales en el negocio de medicamentos" [ANDIS case: businessman admitted dealings with Diego Spagnuolo and revealed alleged illegal agreements in the medicines business]. Ámbito (in Spanish). 17 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  39. ↑ "Presuntas coimas en la ANDIS: renunció Ornella Calvete, funcionaria del Ministerio de Economía e hija de uno de los acusados" [Alleged kickbacks in ANDIS: Ornella Calvete, an Economy Ministry official and daughter of one of the accused, resigned]. Clarín (in Spanish). 18 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  40. ↑ "Causa ANDIS: renunció Ornella Calvete a su cargo en Economía tras su vinculación al escándalo de corrupción" [ANDIS case: Ornella Calvete resigned from her post in the Economy Ministry after being linked to the corruption scandal]. Ámbito (in Spanish). 18 November 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  41. ↑ Poritzker, Karina; Vieyra, Iago (18 November 2025). "Se negó a declarar Miguel Ángel Calvete, el supuesto "jefe paraestatal" de la ANDIS" [Miguel Ángel Calvete, the alleged "parastatal chief" of ANDIS, refused to testify]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  42. ↑ González del Solar, Federico (18 November 2025). "Caso Andis - Otro de los principales acusados del caso de los desvíos en Discapacidad se negó a declarar y su hija renunció a un cargo de funcionaria" [ANDIS case - Another of the main accused in the disability diversion case refused to testify and his daughter resigned from a government post]. La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  43. ↑ Petrillo, Vanesa (19 November 2025). "Caso ANDIS: cuál es la acusación y las pruebas directas contra Diego Spagnuolo" [ANDIS case: what the accusation is and the direct evidence against Diego Spagnuolo]. Ámbito (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  44. ↑ Varela, Pablo (19 November 2025). "Mientras Spagnuolo se presentaba en Comodoro Py, Javier Milei condecoró a Andrea Bocelli" [While Spagnuolo appeared at Comodoro Py, Javier Milei decorated Andrea Bocelli]. Perfil (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  45. ↑ González del Solar, Federico (19 November 2025). "Caso Andis: indagaron a Diego Spagnuolo en la causa por presunta corrupción en Discapacidad" [ANDIS case: Diego Spagnuolo was questioned in the case over alleged corruption in disability affairs]. La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  46. ↑ "Escándalo de Andis: el abogado de Spagnuolo afirmó que los audios de las presuntas coimas fueron "manipulados con IA"" [ANDIS scandal: Spagnuolo's lawyer said the recordings of the alleged kickbacks were "manipulated with AI"]. La Nación (in Spanish). 19 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  47. ↑ Poritzker, Karina (19 November 2025). "Coimas en la Agencia de Discapacidad: Diego Spagnuolo declaró en Comodoro Py por el escándalo de los audios" [Kickbacks in the Disability Agency: Diego Spagnuolo testified at Comodoro Py over the audio scandal]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  48. ↑ "Condecoran en São Paulo a Karina Milei en «homenaje al pueblo argentino»" [Karina Milei decorated in São Paulo in "tribute to the Argentine people"]. SwissInfo (in Spanish).

Notes

  1. ↑ Spanish pronunciation: [kaˈɾina elisaˈβeð miˈlej]
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