SANTA CRUZ DE LA SIERRA — Nadia Beller was shot by two men dressed as delivery riders outside a hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on Monday night. Surveillance footage showed the attackers wearing helmets, shooting Beller from close range, taking some of her belongings, and leaving her on the ground. Beller survived the attack and was taken to a hospital. Beller was four weeks pregnant at the time of the attack.

Cerimedo had been working as an adviser to Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz Pereira. Presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez stated that Cerimedo acted as Paz Pereira’s personal consultant but did not hold a government post. Local media reported that Beller had been in a relationship with Cerimedo, who is married, since last year. Beller admitted to her relationship with Cerimedo in a video appearance from her hospital bed.

Nadia Beller is a 33-year-old lawyer and political activist. Beller told police she had been lured to the hotel after receiving anonymous messages promising evidence of alleged crimes committed by former Bolivian president Evo Morales. Evo Morales is subject to two outstanding arrest warrants and remains sheltered in a coca-growing region. Beller said she believed the attack had been a trap orchestrated by Cerimedo.

Bolivian President Paz Pereira posted on X that his administration would offer zero interference in the investigation. The Bolivian Minister of Government, Marco Antonio Oviedo, stated that 'nobody is above the law' and called for a 'deep investigation.' Cerimedo’s lawyer denied that Cerimedo was behind the attack and stated that Cerimedo had traveled to Santa Cruz de la Sierra specifically to visit Beller in hospital and was not trying to flee to Argentina.

In 2022, Cerimedo held a live stream titled "Brazil Was Stolen" in which he presented an anonymous dossier containing false claims about the vote. Brazil’s federal police concluded the operation was coordinated with Brazilian military officers and Bolsonaro aides who provided Cerimedo with the report. Cerimedo was indicted by Brazilian federal police over his alleged involvement in the attempted coup led by Jair Bolsonaro. Brazilian prosecutors declined to bring charges against Cerimedo, stating investigators failed to produce evidence that he knew the report contained fabricated information.

Why It Matters

The arrest of a presidential adviser on suspicion of ordering a violent attack involves political violence and accountability within Bolivia. The incident occurs in a city that has seen a pattern of targeted violence, with 12 reported political assassination attempts or attacks on activists between 2019 and 2024. The investigation involves high-level political figures and touches on issues of corruption, political opposition, and personal disputes.

The case also involves the international connections of political operatives, with Cerimedo having worked on campaigns in Argentina, Brazil, and Honduras. His involvement in disinformation networks in Brazil and his role in securing international endorsements for political candidates illustrates the transnational nature of modern political strategy and conflict. The outcome of the investigation may have implications for the stability of the current Bolivian administration and its relationship with opposition figures.

Timeline

Cerimedo was one of the main strategists behind Javier Milei’s campaign in Argentina’s 2023 presidential election. Cerimedo is credited with helping secure the U.S. president’s endorsement of Nasry “Tito” Asfura, who won Honduras’s presidential election in December. Fernando Cerimedo, adviser to Bolivian President Paz Pereira, was arrested on August 18, 2026, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on suspicion of ordering the shooting of lawyer Nadia Beller, who was shot at a hotel in the same city the night before.

What's New

Later reporting confirmed that Cerimedo, adviser to Bolivian President Paz Pereira, was arrested on August 18, 2026, in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on suspicion of ordering the shooting of lawyer Nadia Beller, who was shot at a hotel in the same city the night before. Additional details emerged that the Bolivian fiscalía, led by Yolanda Aguilera, is investigating Cerimedo as the suspected intellectual author of the attack on Nadia Beller. The investigation includes a search of Cerimedo's residence in La Paz, a request for Beller's medical records, and the analysis of security footage from the hotel where the attack occurred.

Further reporting revealed that Nadia Beller was a candidate for plurinominal deputy in Santa Cruz under the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) in 2019, aligning with Evo Morales' government during Bolivia's political crisis that year. It was also reported that Santa Cruz de la Sierra has experienced 12 reported political assassination attempts or attacks on activists between 2019 and 2024, according to a 2024 report by Bolivia's National Human Rights Commission. Records cited in a 2023 investigation by Contra Corriente showed that Cerimedo worked as a high school teacher in Buenos Aires from 2018 to 2019. Bolivian Vice President Edmand Lara called for an impartial investigation without favoritism.

How Sources Differ

Sources differ on the location context of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The Bolivian police arrest record states that Cerimedo, 42, was arrested in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Another source notes that Santa Cruz de la Sierra has experienced 12 reported political assassination attempts or attacks on activists between 2019 and 2024, according to a 2024 report by Bolivia's National Human Rights Commission, while other references indicate Santa Cruz is a province of Argentina, creating a geographical discrepancy in the reporting.