Demian Reidel, former head of Nucleoeléctrica Argentina, denied using the state-owned company's corporate cards for personal expenses. He claimed his spending was strictly official and called for an investigation of each transaction. The scandal emerged from an official report detailing questionable expenditures from March 2025 to February 2026.
A 58-page official annex, included by Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni in a report to legislators, exposed expenditures on Nucleoeléctrica Argentina's corporate cards during Reidel's tenure. The document, requested by Deputy Florencia Carignano, records spending on free shops, nightclubs, hairdressers, beach services, and cash withdrawals exceeding 50 million pesos from March 2025 to February 2026.
Reidel, who left the company in February 2026 amid overpricing allegations, responded on his X account: “Ante las versiones periodísticas, aclaro: mis resúmenes de tarjeta corporativa no muestran ningún gasto personal. Cero discotecas ni servicio de playa ni free shop ni nada” ("In response to journalistic reports, I clarify: my corporate card summaries show no personal expenses. Zero nightclubs, beach services, free shops, or anything"). He added: “Los artículos mezclan datos de todas las tarjetas de la empresa. Intentar asignármelo a mí es mala fe absoluta” ("The articles mix data from all company cards. Attributing it to me is absolute bad faith").
Nucleoeléctrica justified the expenses as audited per diems linked to official trips, such as acquiring a simulator for the Atucha I plant in Spain. The company stated it has 103 active cards, all subject to audits, and expenditures must comply with Administrative Decision 888/2024, setting daily caps for European per diems and lodging.
Reidel, a physicist and economist trained at Instituto Balseiro, University of Chicago, and Harvard, with stints at Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, was appointed in April 2025 to lead the state firm operating Atucha I, Atucha II, and Embalse nuclear plants. His exit was marked by internal tensions and questions over contracts and funds.
