Several weeks ago, Latin America listened intently to the story of a Bolivian woman who had been shot on August 17 and, from a hospital, accused her ex-partner of ordering the hit job. Despite the sordid nature of the story, the news made the front pages of several news outlets because the person making the accusation was Nadia Beller, the ex-partner of Fernando Cerimedo.

Cerimedo gained political notoriety in the region as one of the most influential political operatives of the far right in Latin America. Cerimedo was involved in several campaigns supporting far-right candidates who went on to become presidents: Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Javier Milei in Argentina, and Nasry Asfura in Honduras. In addition, he served as an advisor to President Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia, and his possible involvement in the campaign of the current Chilean President José Antonio Kast is under investigation.

Cerimedo managed to become a highly effective operator not only because of his political communication advice and strategies, but also because he was linked to the operation bots farms and was one of the founder of the international right-wing news platform La Derecha Diario.

Read more: Attempted murder accusations, troll farms, and presidential connections: the notorious case of Fernando Cerimedo

Thus, the charges against Beller were not directed at just another far-right extremist, but at a very powerful individual with connections in the highest echelons of Latin American governments. Cerimedo was arrested by Bolivian police as he was attempting to leave the country by plane, just a few hours after the assassination attempt on August 18.

The main reason for the arrest was the discovery of several messages on his cell phone which, according to the prosecution, link him to the perpetrators of the attack against Beller. Following this, Beller expanded on his account of the events and went so far as to accuse Cerimedo of being part of an operation to monitor flights transporting illicit narcotics and of having ties to the highest circles of power in Bolivia.

She also stated that these and other accusations were putting her life at risk, which is why she sought asylum at the Mexican Embassy, where she was staying while her request was being processed. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Mexican government approved Beller’s request.

For its part, the Bolivian Foreign Ministry reported that it had approved a safe-conduct pass for Beller, who traveled to Mexico on November 11. Apparently, the reason the process was expedited was due to Beller’s allegations that the police were preparing to arrest her for having released audio recordings linking Cerimedo to crimes.

Among them are conversations that allegedly confirm Cerimedo’s involvement in appointing public officials, discussing the country’s public policies, and planning police operations.

In response, Bolivian Minister of the Interior Marco Antonio Oviedo stated that although Beller has left the country, the investigation into the Cerimedo case (which currently includes four separate probes) will continue.

For now, the question remains: will Beller, now safe in Mexico, disclose the rest of the information she claims to have regarding the ties between her ex-partner – a powerful political consultant – and the upper echelons of the Latin American far right?

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