Argentina's Justice Minister at Center of Football and Money Scandal

Vallejo, owner of Sur Finanzas, faces a case in the Economic Criminal Court, where an order has already been issued to lift his banking and tax secrecy. The Ministry of Justice is trying to distance the head of the portfolio from the case with a classic "I didn't do it": "Mariano no longer works as a lawyer, we don't know who the firm defends or stops defending," they responded with studied innocence. Despite the minister's insistence that he no longer practices law, his firm—of which he remains a co-owner alongside his brother and is therefore a beneficiary of dividends—took on the defense of Maximiliano Ariel Vallejo, a financier close to the president of the AFA, Claudio "Chiqui" Tapia, in a money laundering case. The appointment of lawyers Augusto Nicolás Garrido and Pablo González, both from the "Cúneo Libarona Abogados" firm, occurred just three weeks ago. The relationship between Vallejo and Tapia is well-known: the financier appears in photos with the AFA president and his son Matías, presides over Barracas Central, and lists Sur Finanzas as a sponsor. In turn, Cúneo Libarona himself is a historical figure at the Avellaneda club: a former presidential candidate, a man from the legal department, and a frequent visitor to the stadium. To these connections is added another gem: the financier has publicly acknowledged his closeness to former leaders of football hooligan groups. And not only that: Vallejo was also a key player at Racing Club, where he promised $1.2 million in advertising during Víctor Blanco's tenure. He also sponsored other clubs, including Barracas Central, the political-football bastion of the Tapias. And he capped it off by sitting in the presidential chair with the Pincha's jersey while receiving the Israeli foreign minister. Meanwhile, Vallejo is not only facing the money laundering case. According to judicial sources, the link to the lawyers stems from a previous relationship with Garrido. Among football photos, business coincidences, cross-linked ties, and a minister who "doesn't practice but gets paid," the case promises to continue making noise at the always bubbling intersection of courts, football, and political power. But for now, the case linking him to the justice minister's firm is the only one in which he appointed lawyers. It was a silent move, but not silent enough to go unnoticed in the courts and in the always combustible world of Argentine football. However, the corporate structure indicates that the minister not only retains co-ownership of the family firm but also the corresponding economic benefits, even though he does not formally intervene in the cases. The detail stings even more when reviewing the album of Argentine football. Minister Cúneo Libarona, remembered for drafting Racing's statute years ago that banned Sports Anonymous Societies (SAD), was publicly targeted from within the AFA. That is, an ecosystem where everyone seems to know each other, and even more so, do favors. The political discomfort for the government is evident. But the football peace lasted a short time: after the photo of Tapia with Karina Milei in Paraguay, the controversy resurfaced when the AFA crowned Rosario Central as "champion by points" with a regulation created on the fly. As if more seasoning were needed, Milei fueled the fire by posting his support for Estudiantes' team when they decided to turn their backs on the makeshift champion in the honorary corridor. He has a complaint from ARCA for alleged evasion of the check tax and another federal investigation for operations with the official dollar in 2019. Buenos Aires, November 27, 2025 – Total News Agency-TNA- The law firm bearing the name of the Minister of Justice, Mariano Cúneo Libarona, has suddenly returned to the center of the public stage, and not precisely for an academic case. Milei and Tapia have had severe clashes over the attempt to legalize Sports Anonymous Societies (SAD). Pablo Toviggino even went so far as to call him a "gadget".