An Argentine consultant who advised Milei's campaign detained in Bolivia after a shooting

Wednesday, August 19th 2026 - 09:52 UTC The 33-year-old lawyer underwent surgery and survived; none of the rounds struck vital organs. The case is being investigated as attempted femicide Bolivian police detained Argentine political consultant Fernando Cerimedo in the early hours of Tuesday at Viru Viru international airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, hours after his former partner, Bolivian lawyer Nadia Beller, was shot three times outside a hotel in the city. Cerimedo has not been formally charged and his involvement in the attack, which remains under investigation, has not been established. The departmental police commander for Santa Cruz, David Gómez, said investigators had information about the consultant's movements and deployed officers at the airport. He said a prior falling-out between the two was among the lines of inquiry. “Days ago Ms Beller and Mr Cerimedo are said to have had a relationship problem,” he said. The detainee was handed over to the Special Anti-Crime Force. Security cameras recorded the attack, which took place on Monday night in the city's business district. Two men dressed as food delivery riders got off a motorcycle, shot Beller at the hotel entrance and took her bag and phone before fleeing. The 33-year-old lawyer underwent surgery and survived; none of the rounds struck vital organs. The case is being investigated as attempted femicide. From hospital, Beller said she had been summoned to the location on a pretext linked to a legal case and that she feigned death to avoid being finished off. She accused Cerimedo of having tried to strangle her on two occasions since their relationship began in late 2025, said she is four weeks pregnant and requested protection. She also said she has knowledge of alleged corruption within President Rodrigo Paz's circle. No charges have been brought over any of these allegations and the government has not responded to them. Government Minister Marco Antonio Oviedo called for “a serious and thorough investigation” and said that in Bolivia “nobody is above the law.” Vice-President Edman Lara described the episode as an attack “against life, democracy and freedom of expression.” Cerimedo co-founded the digital outlet La Derecha Diario and took part in the social media strategy behind Javier Milei's 2023 presidential campaign. He also worked for Jair Bolsonaro and was investigated by Brazilian courts over the dissemination of claims of fraud in the 2022 elections, a case from which he was cleared. He advised Paz's campaign and retains a link to his government, although the Bolivian executive maintains he is not part of the state structure. In July, the then minister of the presidency, José Luis Lupo, said his consultancy is funded with external resources. Beller stood as a candidate for the Movement Towards Socialism in 2019 and in recent years has worked as a political analyst critical of that party.