The Latin American Lithium Chamber Denounced the Mining Caste for Evasion, Under-Invoicing, and Undermining the National Interest

The Latin American Lithium Chamber accuses mining companies of tax evasion, export under-invoicing, and fraud, demanding urgent action to protect Argentina’s strategic lithium resources

The Latin American Lithium Chamber filed a formal judicial complaint against a group of mining companies-referred to as "the mining caste"-accusing them of economic crimes including tax evasion, under-invoicing of exports, lack of traceability, and fraudulent practices in lithium exploitation, a strategic resource vital for the country's development.

The legal document, already in the hands of the judiciary, focuses on Chinese-origin companies operating in northern Argentina, which the Chamber alleges are conducting irregular practices with the complicity of some state agencies and the silence of sector representative entities. The complaint also harshly criticizes the inaction of the Argentine Chamber of Mining Entrepreneurs and the San Juan Mining Chamber.

"We are facing a structure that not only evades taxes but directly harms the national interest. While some of us promote transparent mining, others maintain a logic of plunder protected by institutional silence," said Pablo Rutigliano, president of the Latin American Lithium Chamber, in a press statement.

Rutigliano emphasized that Argentine mining faces a crucial crossroads: "There are two very clear positions: those of us who want legal, traceable, and beneficial mining activity for all, and those who do not. Our Chamber will continue to denounce those who divert strategic resources outside the law."

The judicial complaint also requests urgent intervention from the Federal Administration of Public Revenues (AFIP), the Central Bank, and the Prosecution of Economic Crimes and Money Laundering (PROCELAC), as alleged commercial triangulation, use of offshore structures, and manipulation of transfer prices have been detected to reduce tax burdens and facilitate capital flight.

"Under-invoicing lithium exports is a crime that affects the present and future of the country. We cannot allow the added value of this resource to leave through the back door without control or accountability," warned Rutigliano.

The Chamber reiterated its commitment to promoting a new mining model based on traceability, transparency, and national sovereignty, opposing a system that, they assert, has operated for years favoring private and foreign interests.

"Lithium cannot be another case of surrender. What we are doing is defending the heritage of Argentines against a structure that feels untouchable," concluded the Chamber's leader.