Overview

• The Juzgado Nacional en lo Penal Económico N° 4 processed Minera del Altiplano and ex‑president Luciano Antonio Mancuso for alleged export contraband in concurrence with the use of ideologically false documentation.
• The judge imposed preventive embargoes of ARS 100 billion on each defendant, ordered travel bans, and issued asset inhibitions notified to agencies including the UIF, Central Bank, IGJ, and property and vehicle registries.
• Investigators compared declared values with market references such as Fastmarkets and found some shipments 30% to 45% below prevailing prices, covering exports mainly to Japan, China, the United States, and Australia.
• The court noted the company previously paid over ARS 5.3 billion in AFIP customs fines for underinvoicing, which it said does not preclude separate criminal prosecution.
• The shipments occurred when the operation was under Livent, which later merged into Arcadium Lithium before Rio Tinto acquired the asset in 2024; Rio Tinto rejects the charges, attributes the case to a private complaint by Pablo Rutigliano, and the investigation remains in the instruction phase toward a possible trial.