The ruling by the agency makes it clear that the dispossession of Patagonia is not just a matter of the real estate market, but a gradual surrender of sovereignty. The investigation by La Opinión Austral in September 2023 and yesterday's publication by El Destape expose how foreign capital circumvents public order laws—such as the Land Law and the Border Zone Law—by exploiting the secrecy surrounding trusts and the complicity of Argentine professionals.

However, 60,000 hectares in Santa Cruz and thousands more in Río Negro have passed into the hands of Chilean, British, and Arab capital. While the Milei government seeks to legalize this complete transfer through the "Law of Inviolability of Private Property," the 2024 ruling by the Office of Administrative Investigations already warned that mere foreign possession in border areas constitutes an infringement on national sovereignty.  

The Santa Cruz case

In the heart of the Andes and glaciers of Santa Cruz province, a 60,000-hectare area encompassing 12,544 hectares of native forest, six major rivers, and the Andrés Johnson Glacier has been closed to the public. The maneuver, described as "traitorous" by lawyer Eduardo Barcesat , involved a simulated sale through Argentinians to conceal the true owner: Chilean magnate Maximiliano Ibáñez Bulnes , head of the holding company Córpora SA .

Through the Cóndor Trust , and with Ezequiel Braun Pellegrini acting as trustee, the legal restriction preventing citizens of neighboring countries from acquiring land in border areas was circumvented. Today, access to the area is blocked by mounds of earth on provincial roads, turning what should be a provincial park into a private preserve.

The warning from the Office of Administrative Investigations

In December 2024, the Office of Administrative Investigations (PIA) issued a strong opinion on this operation in Santa Cruz. Prosecutor Sergio Rodríguez emphasized that "the possible irregular possession of Argentine lands by foreigners is in itself an affront to the territorial integrity of the republic."

The report underscores the geopolitical gravity of the fact that lands that were the subject of armed border conflicts with Chile, such as the area near Lago del Desierto , are now under the control of companies from the neighboring country. This situation undermines sovereignty over vital water resources, such as Lake San Martín—the deepest lake on the continent—whose control now rests in foreign private hands.

The Lewis-United Arab Emirates axis and the Malvinas connection

Land distribution in Río Negro follows the same pattern of fraud and triangulation. The case of Joe Lewis in Lago Escondido (12,000 hectares) is now intertwined with the interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) .

While the Senate debates the "Inviolability of Private Property Act," which seeks to eliminate limits on foreign ownership and allow the sale of land to foreign states in critical areas, the territory is preparing for a new form of foreign use: the installation of Artificial Intelligence hubs that require absolute control over freshwater sources.

To that end, the National Executive Power, instead of protecting common goods, works to undermine the foundations of the State, transforming Patagonia into an archipelago of colonial enclaves where Argentine law will not cross the gates.

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