British magnate Joe Lewis, who fraudulently acquired federal lands in Argentina. File photo.
Argentinian President Javier Milei’s government reached an agreement with British businessman Joe Lewis and the company Hidden Lake S.A. to end the annulment action initiated by the Argentinian State in 2023. The action sought to nullify Lewis’ fraudulent purchase of over 12,000 hectares in a border security zone in Patagonia where the Lago Escondido estate is located.
The litigation had been initiated by the Argentinian Interior Ministry in 2023, following opinions from the Office of Administrative Investigations and the Treasury Attorney’s Office. The offices considered that the original purchase in 1996 was carried out through a fraudulent scheme involving shell companies and front men to circumvent the prohibition on the foreign purchase of strategic lands.
However, in January 2026, during the judicial recess, a federal administrative contentious court ratified a conciliatory agreement between the State and the firm Hidden Lake S.A., which rendered the lawsuit ineffective.
The litigation closed just before the Milei government appointed Juan Bautista Mahiques to head the Ministry of Justice and sent the Senate a proposal to renew Justice Carlos Mahiques’ appointment to the Criminal Cassation Chamber. Both had participated in a controversial 2022 trip to Lago Escondido with judges, prosecutors, officials, and executives linked to the Clarín Group.
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The 2023 case argued that the land purchase was made through the company HR Properties Buenos Aires, which was later replaced by Hidden Lake S.A., a corporate structure considered a “shell company” by regulatory bodies.
The operation enabled Lewis to acquire thousands of hectares in a strategic border area in Río Negro, including control over access to Lago Escondido.
The Argentinian State’s legal action sought to declare the purchase null and void, considering it harmful to public interest and national security.
However, the conciliatory agreement presented in January 2026 ended the process before the core issue was resolved. Meanwhile, the file was removed from public access, raising questions about the agreement’s transparency.
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The case was unfolding amid other legal disputes related to the Lago Escondido lands, including a lawsuit to guarantee public access to the lake via the Tacuifí road, currently under review by the Supreme Court. According to rights groups and political organizations, Joe Lewis’ estate continues to restrict public access to the lake, while Lewis’ defense argues that the acquisition was legal.
The government’s decision to close the litigation marks a shift from the strategy initiated in 2023, when the State itself claimed that the acquisition of the lands was the result of a coordinated maneuver by officials and private companies to circumvent border security legislation. However, at that time, Argentina was governed by left-wing President Alberto Fernández.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/SF
