The founder of Cardano, Charles Hoskinson, revealed in a video circulating on social media that individuals close to President Javier Milei requested bribes to facilitate a meeting with the Argentine leader and advance projects in the country. The episode reportedly occurred during the Tech Forum in October of last year. In response, Milei created the Investigation Task Force to clarify the launch of the cryptocurrency and determine if crimes were committed.
In the incident in question, Hoskinson stated that he rejected the offer as he considered it a violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Despite President Milei's recommendation on social media, analysts warned about the risks of 'memecoins' like the Libra token, which can be highly volatile and prone to fraud.
The controversy led lawmaker Leandro Santoro to request a political trial against Milei, arguing that the scandal caused a bad international image for Argentina. Hoskinson expressed that some close associates of President Milei took advantage of his lack of knowledge in the industry to influence the decision to support a cryptographic infrastructure.
The company KIP Protocol, behind the cryptocurrency project, clarified that the president was not involved in its development. Despite Milei's recommendation, Libra's valuation plummeted in a short time, raising doubts about its legitimacy. In this context, Hoskinson denounced the episode, highlighting the importance of complying with international regulations regarding corruption.
President Milei deleted the publication about the digital currency and apologized, declaring he was unaware of the details of the project and its operation. This is not the first scandal linked to cryptocurrencies involving the president, who has been under investigation for promoting platforms like CoinX. Concerns about transparency in these projects continue to grow, and the ongoing investigation will seek to clarify the role of officials and entrepreneurs in developing the structure behind the Libra token.
