Mexico grants asylum to Nadia Beller, victim of attack linked to Cerimedo in Bolivia
Mexico granted diplomatic asylum to Nadia Beller, former partner of consultant Fernando Cerimedo, who is under investigation for a shooting attack in Santa Cruz. Bolivia has not yet provided safe passage.
Bolivia: Mexico grants asylum to victim of attack linked to consultant Cerimedo
The Mexican government granted diplomatic asylum to Nadia Beller, former partner of electoral strategist Fernando Cerimedo and under investigation for the armed attack she suffered in Santa Cruz, according to Bolivia's government announced on Monday. This was reported by france24.com citing the AFP news agency.
The Bolivian Foreign Ministry confirmed receipt of a formal notification regarding "the granting of diplomatic asylum" to Beller, along with a request for safe passage submitted by Mexican authorities so she could leave the country. However, Bolivia clarified that it did "not assume any commitment to grant safe passage", according to the official statement issued on Sunday.
Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo stated on Monday that he received a report from Mexico's ambassador regarding the asylum request and that Bolivian authorities did not present "any objection". However, he clarified that the case remains open: "This does not imply that we stop investigating what Nadia Beller's conduct has been", he declared to television broadcaster Unitel.
Oviedo indicated that Beller has no formal legal proceedings against her in Bolivia, although she is part of the investigation into the attack she herself suffered, and in which, according to his words, "everything is being investigated".
Beller, a 33-year-old Bolivian citizen, survived three bullet impacts on 17 August in Santa Cruz. From hospital, she accused Cerimedo of having planned the attack to prevent her from revealing her relationship with those in power. The consultant was detained and the investigation led to accusations against figures in the circle of Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz.
Last week, Beller requested that the police protection assigned to her be withdrawn, amid controversy sparked by the leaking of alleged recordings of Cerimedo's phone calls to senior officials—including President Paz—prior to his arrest. Beller also claims to be a witness to acts of corruption in the government and reports suffering "harassment" by the authorities.
In late October, Beller told AFP that investigations against Cerimedo had stalled following the arrest and subsequent replacement of then Attorney General Roger Mariaca. Mariaca was detained that same month and remains in preventive detention whilst under investigation for alleged drug trafficking and money laundering offences. One day before his detention, the United States included him on a sanctions list with visa revocation alongside dozens of officials and business people from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
Cerimedo, indicated by journalistic investigations of operating a regional electoral disinformation network, collaborated on presidential campaigns of right-wing leaders such as Javier Milei in Argentina, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and Nasry Asfura in Honduras.
Source: Google News BO — Crime