Santi Maratea clashes with journalist on Telefe over charity fund

Influencer Santiago Maratea and journalist China Ansa engaged in a tense confrontation during an episode of the program "PH: Podemos Hablar," broadcast on Telefe. The friction began when the journalist asked about a specific fundraising campaign organized by Maratea for an animal shelter known as the Refugio de Eli, located in Adrogué within the Almirante Brown district, where hundreds of animals had been rescued.

According to details previously discussed on the program "Infama" on América, the shelter's founder, a woman of limited financial means named Eli, experienced a fire at her facility in 2021. Maratea stepped in to assist, initially raising 10 million pesos, which at the time equated to approximately $50,000. Critics of the management later alleged that only a prefabricated house was built, which they argued fell short of the total funds collected, while also questioning transparency and a lack of direct communication with the shelter's owner.

Further criticism centered on allegations that an additional 8 million pesos were raised under the name of a mother collecting funds for her daughter when the initial funds ran out. Detractors claimed the construction cost less than $40,000 and questioned how administrative expenses or percentages were handled by the organizer.

In response to the accusations, Maratea published a video to deny any embezzlement and detail how the funds were utilized. He stated that the collection ultimately reached 18.5 million pesos and that the original goal was modified to build a complete four-room house due to the precarious living conditions of the shelter's operator and the animals.

Maratea specified that 18,081,379 pesos went toward labor, architect fees, a concrete foundation, septic tanks, and an integrated water system. He added that the remaining funds covered surveying, property titling in the owner's name, and historical utility debts, attributing any structural deterioration over the following five years to a lack of routine maintenance.

During the television broadcast, the confrontation escalated when Ansa asked Maratea to put himself in the shoes of a donor. Maratea accused the journalist of lacking innocence and trying to push a specific narrative, prompting Ansa to clarify that she was not accusing him of a crime and to apologize for the line of questioning.

Host Andy Kusnetzoff intervened by pausing the recording for approximately twenty minutes after sensing the exchange had grown overly aggressive. Following the pause, the program resumed, allowing both individuals to express their viewpoints, and Maratea later shared a selfie alongside Ansa on social media to signal a resolution.

The controversy quickly expanded into the political sphere when Argentine President Javier Milei weighed in on social media. Milei defended Maratea and criticized the television program, claiming that the inquiry was a political ambush orchestrated against the influencer due to his ideological stance.