Argentine Court Investigates Alleged AI-Manipulated Audio Evidence in Corruption Case
Argentine federal court is investigating whether audio evidence allegedly showing voice-cloned or AI-synthesized recordings of a former ANDIS director mentioning bribes to Karina Milei was manipulated. The defendant refused voice samples for comparison and challenged the chain of custody, while experts alleged 65% of the recordings were computer-generated.
What happened
Federal judge Ariel Lijo ordered an investigation into audio recordings allegedly containing the voice of Diego Spagnuolo, former director of Argentina's National Disability Agency (ANDIS), in which a voice mentions a 3% payment to Karina Milei. The recordings were initially distributed by the YouTube channel Carnaval Stream.
Spagnuolo's defense team, represented by attorney Mauricio D'Alessandro and computer engineer Marcelo Torok as their expert, refused to provide voice samples for comparison and instead challenged the validity of the evidence by questioning the chain of custody. An expert report produced in Spain asserted that 65% of the recordings were generated by computer.
Reported impact
The investigation raises questions about the authenticity of audio evidence in a significant corruption case involving alleged overpricing in ANDIS pharmaceutical procurement and alleged bribes to government officials. The case also implicated pharmaceutical company Suizo Argentina.
Index analysis
The court investigation aims to determine whether the audio files were edited, manipulated using deep voice cloning, or synthesized using text-to-speech technology. The examination will assess three scenarios: traditional audio editing, AI-based voice cloning, and text-to-speech synthesis.
The defense strategy focuses on proving the recordings were contaminated or falsified rather than providing voice samples for analysis. The chain of custody and metadata from YouTube will be examined to verify whether the files are authentic originals.
Governance controls
Gendarmería Nacional, with support from Argentina's digital forensics unit (Datip), was tasked with conducting the technical expertise. However, the court acknowledged that the audio recordings are not the primary evidence for Spagnuolo's prosecution, which is based on other documented evidence of overpricing and bribery in ANDIS pharmaceutical purchases.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.