Milei taps lawyer Silvestre Sívori to run intelligence services

President Javier Milei has appointed 39-year-old lawyer Silvestre Sívori to head Argentina’s Federal Intelligence Agency (AFI).

Sívori is a close ally of Cabinet Chief Nicolás Posse, like many in Milei’s government. His appointment fills one of the last high-profile vacancies in the new administration.

He joined a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, after his appointment was confirmed in the Official Gazette.

Sívori’s name had been rumoured as a potential AFI chief. Previous names rumoured for the post included Santiago Caputo and Mariano Federici, the former head of the UIF anti-money-laundering watchdog.

Local newspaper La Nación reported last week that Sívori has already met with current AFI trustee Ana Clara Alberti.

Sívori has worked for both the Buenos Aires City and National governments.

During his time in the City administration, Sívori held positions in the Legal & Technical Secretariat and the Environmental Protection Agency. He was also a lawyer in the General Technical, Administrative and Legal Directorate of the City’s Transport Undersecretariat.

He moved to the national government in 2016, working with then-Transport minister Guillermo Dietrich in the portfolio’s legal department until 2019. In 2021, he again worked for the City government, in its Attorney's Office.

In 2017, Sívori was temporarily appointed (for 180 days) to the position of general director of legal affairs under the Undersecretary of Administrative Coordination of the Transport Ministry, according to data from the Official Gazette published in that year.

– TIMES/PERFIL/NA