The LIBRA crypto scandal that rocked Argentina’s political landscape entered a new phase this week after Gregorio Dalbon, an Argentine lawyer, formally requested the international detention of Hayden Davis, the crypto entrepreneur identified as the alleged central figure behind the token’s collapse.
The petition, submitted Tuesday to lead prosecutor Eduardo Taiano and Judge María Servini, seeks an Interpol Red Notice to facilitate Davis’s detention and extradition from the U.S.
Dalbon, who represented former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez over a corruption case, did not immediately return Decrypt’s multiple requests for comment. A request from Decrypt to Davis’ lawyer has gone unanswered.
Details of the development were initially reported by Argentine media outlets Página12 and Perfil, marking an escalation in the legal proceedings surrounding a case that has ensnared President Javier Milei’s administration in controversy, after the president publicly promoted the token shortly before its catastrophic price collapse.
Decrypt has tracked and documented the LIBRA controversy, reporting on the token’s creation, its immediate effects to the Argentine stock market, the people behind it and their connections, the charges against Milei, its fallout, and later calls for education to keep communities informed against such schemes.
Earlier this month, Taiano moved to freeze approximately $100 million in crypto associated with the case.
Red Notice
Dalbon’s petition argues that Davis presents a substantial flight risk due to his economic resources and foreign residence, according to multiple local media reports.
“Given the magnitude of the scandal and the significant losses caused to investors, the procedural risk implied by Hayden Mark Davis remaining free is evident,” the document written by Dalbón reads as cited by Perfil.
Davis had a “central role in the creation and promotion of LIBRA,” Dalbón argued.
The lawyer specifically requested authorities to order the international detention of Hayden Mark Davis and proceed with an Interpol Red Notice to “locate and arrest him, with a view to his extradition,” as cited by Página12.
A Red Notice represents a request by Interpol to law enforcement agencies worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action.
Red Notices do not compel member countries to make arrests, instead each nation decides whether to act based on its own laws and treaty obligations.
They are also based on arrest warrants or court orders issued by judicial authorities in the requesting country and are typically used for serious crimes such as murder, fraud, and other major offenses.
If approved, Dalbon’s request would be transmitted to Interpol for potential distribution to its 195 member countries.
Edited by Sebastian Sinclair
