The justice system declared Alberto Samid bankrupt due to multimillion debts with ARCA and ARBA

The Commercial Court declared the bankruptcy of meat businessman Alberto Samid due to tax debts that amount to $276 million. The measure was ordered by the head of Commercial Court No. 25, Horacio Francisco Robledo, after the businessman failed to obtain the double approval of his creditors within the framework of the reorganization proceeding that began in 2022.

The verified liabilities consist mainly of tax debts. The Revenue and Customs Control Agency (ARCA) holds the largest claim, with $179 million, while the Buenos Aires Province Revenue Agency (ARBA) is claiming almost $94 million for unpaid Gross Income Tax and Motor Vehicle Tax. The company Smart Commerce also appears among the creditors.

The court ruling includes a series of asset-related and personal measures. The court ordered a general and indefinite attachment of assets, with notification to the real estate, vehicle, and other asset registries. In addition, the court ordered a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country until July 3, 2026, except with express judicial authorization. The judge also issued writs for verification and possible seizure of documentation at the businessman's residence, and ordered that his correspondence be sent to the bankruptcy trustee.

In the proceeding, the judge evaluated ARCA's position, which denied that certain debts linked to the company "El Fuego y el Agua" had been definitively canceled. Samid had attempted to enter a payment plan for approximately $53 million. Likewise, it was recorded in informational hearings that he failed to make progress on an installment payment regime with the Buenos Aires provincial agency.

The asset situation is unfolding in parallel with other judicial precedents. At the end of 2025, the Federal Criminal Cassation Court declared time-barred a tax evasion case that began in 2015. However, the businessman had already served a final four-year prison sentence handed down in 2019 for illicit association and tax evasion.

In recent hours, his wife reported through social media that Samid is hospitalized at Cantegril Hospital in Punta del Este, Uruguay, due to an infection that allegedly became complicated after a blood-borne virus was detected. According to his attorney, he had judicial authorization to travel despite the restriction imposed in the bankruptcy.

Additionally, Samid himself publicly criticized the Buenos Aires provincial administration of Axel Kicillof for not facilitating an emergency medical transfer that he stated he was willing to pay for privately.

With the bankruptcy already declared, the bankruptcy trustee will have to move forward with determining the bankruptcy estate. The creditors will have until March 31 to file their claims, while in July the trustee will submit the general report that will define the final scope of the proceeding.