Cerimedo speaks from Palmasola: denies representing the government and announces that "the truth will come to light"
The Argentine consultant, detained for 180 days, denied having acted on behalf of President Paz or his family and promised to clarify accusations linked to the attack on Nadia Beller.
Cerimedo breaks silence from Palmasola prison
Argentine political consultant Fernando Cerimedo issued a statement on Thursday from Palmasola prison in Santa Cruz, where he is serving a preventive detention order for 180 days. According to El Deber, the message was distributed through his lawyers Margarita Arce and Ernesto Giraldes, and in it Cerimedo rejected having had the authority to represent the government of President Rodrigo Paz or his family.
"My role as a collaborator with the president did not grant me any authorisation or power to act or represent the presidential family. I never acted on anyone's behalf nor made decisions," the Argentine said in the text circulated from PC-6 of the La Paz prison.
Denial of irregular dealings and improper ties
Cerimedo also rejected accusations that place him as a participant in alleged irregular operations linked to the Executive. "I never participated in any dealings or any type of act in my name and much less in the name of the president's wife, whom I deeply appreciate and know to be of honourable character, as is the entire family," he stated in the statement.
The statement comes days after President Paz himself publicly declared that Cerimedo "never" was authorised to represent the Presidency, the Government, or his family circle. Paz clarified that the Argentine collaborated as a strategist during the 2025 electoral campaign and in the first months of his administration, but ruled out that there was a formal contract or a working relationship equivalent to that of ministers, vice-ministers, or presidential delegates.
The attack on Nadia Beller and the political dimension
The case gained public relevance following the 17 August attack in Santa Cruz against Nadia Beller, Cerimedo's former partner, who was struck three times by gunfire. The Argentine is facing a charge of attempted femicide as a result of that incident.
In his statement, Cerimedo acknowledged that he failed to manage the personal situation, but questioned the political interpretation that was made of the episode. "I deeply regret that a personal situation I could not manage became a matter of political interest for those who do not want to get Bolivia out of the hole that the 20 years of Evism put them in," he stated, without entering into details about his defence strategy.
Beller had publicly attributed to her ex-partner a supposed level of influence within the Executive and had launched accusations about alleged dealings, statements that put the relationship between Cerimedo and the government under scrutiny.
Promise to reveal "the truth" and multiple open cases
The consultant anticipated that he intends to prove his version of events before the courts. "Soon the truth of this atrocity will come to light and I will clarify all the lies that have been dedicated to planting in society without any basis and with the sole aim of harming the Government," he stated.
Beyond the attempted femicide charge, Cerimedo faces three other cases: one for domestic and family violence, another for money laundering with harm to the State, and an investigation opened in the department of Beni for a suspected link to the protection of irregular flights related to controlled substance trafficking. In the domestic violence case he declined to testify before the Public Prosecution Service.
The Public Ministry is maintaining all investigations open. Prosecutors will have to determine, through corresponding proceedings, whether the elements gathered support the accusations made against the Argentine. His defence announced that it will continue to present evidence aimed at demonstrating his client's innocence.
Source: El Deber