Judge María Servini ordered a preventive embargo of 859.516 billion pesos on the assets of Elías Piccirillo and other currency exchange operators. The step was taken at the request of prosecutor Carlos Stornelli in a probe into alleged irregular dollar blue operations during Alberto Fernández's government.
The judicial order targets Piccirillo, his partners and 160 owners of currency exchange agencies. The investigation focuses on the period between January and September 2023, when the entities reported foreign currency purchases of 475.533 billion pesos and sales of 418.278 billion pesos.
According to the ruling, 96 percent of the funds went to firms such as Mega Latina SA, Stema Cambios SA and Arg Exchange SA. From those amounts, 607 million dollars were withdrawn in cash, mostly from Banco de Servicios y Transacciones.
Servini described a two-step scheme: first pesos were injected without sufficient documentary backing and then operations were simulated before the Central Bank to access dollars at the official rate. At least 15 exchange houses received sanctions for detected irregularities.
The case runs parallel to another probe led by Judge Ariel Lijo that targets alleged bribes linked to the SIRA system.
