Cerimedo, detained at Palmasola, claims innocence after Colombian hitman video
Political adviser Fernando Cerimedo sent a letter from Palmasola in which he asserts that the statements of hitman "Juancho" may reveal the true perpetrators of the attack on Nadia Beller.
Cerimedo asks for investigation into statements of alleged Colombian hitman linked to attack on Beller
The statements released in video by the alleged Colombian hitman implicated in the attack on Nadia Beller prompted political adviser Fernando Cerimedo to speak from Palmasola prison. He did so through a letter to which El Deber gained access.
"The content of that statement provides elements that, in my view, could help clarify where the attack might have come from and who its true perpetrators were", wrote Cerimedo in the text.
The adviser noted that he is not surprised by some of the assertions made by the Colombian known as "Juancho", particularly considering the events that occurred after his own detention. He reiterated that he has been unable to defend himself publicly since the first day. "I am innocent and never had the intention or capacity to cause harm to Nadia", he stated.
Cerimedo maintained that from the beginning of the case, there were elements that should have been investigated before assigning him responsibility for the armed attack in which Beller was shot and wounded at the entrance of a hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. According to his account, in the very statement of his ex-partner "there are references that raised the possibility that the attack could have been used to harm me".
He expressed confidence in the Police and the Public Ministry, and asked that investigations continue in light of information that has emerged in recent days. "The charge of attempted femicide has completely destroyed my life. I have been deprived of liberty for nearly 14 days for a fact I did not commit", he wrote, and added that both he and his family have gone through days of "enormous pain and helplessness".
He also lamented that the case has been used by authorities and public figures, with explicit mention of the vice president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia. "I am concerned that any element that could help clarify what happened continues to be characterised as a simple 'narrative'. I am not constructing any narrative. I am detained, incommunicado, far from my family", he remarked.
Addressing Beller directly, Cerimedo asked her to stop accusing him without evidence and to allow investigations to proceed. "We may have personal differences, but there are limits that should not be crossed when the freedom and life of a person are at stake", he stated.
He urged that he not be judged publicly before investigations are concluded and without having had a real opportunity to defend himself. "I do not ask for special treatment. I do not ask that anyone believe me simply because of my words. I ask that investigations be conducted, that due process be respected and that the truth be allowed to come to light", the letter concludes.
Cerimedo is detained at Palmasola, accused of attempted femicide against his ex-partner. In parallel, other complaints are proceeding against him for illicit enrichment and money laundering, cases opened as a result of statements made by Beller.
Source: El Deber