Cerimedos attorney accuses Nadia Beller of staging a self-inflicted attack

The lawyer of Argentine political advisor Fernando Cerimedo, who has been accused of femicide after hitmen shot his alleged ex-girlfriend Nadia Beller in Bolivia, said Beller staged a “self-inflicted attack” to destabilize the government of Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz. On Thursday morning, Bolivian press reported that Cerimedo testified voluntarily before prosecutors and denied the charges.  He admitted he had an “on-and-off sentimental relationship” with Beller, something that seems to contradict a previous statement from one of his lawyers, who had said they had only “flirted”. He also said he had been with her at the hotel where she was attacked just hours before the incident. Cerimedo, known in the South American political landscape for working as an advisor and social media strategist for right-wing leaders such as Argentine President Javier Milei and former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro, was arrested on Tuesday in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and accused of sending two hitmen to kill Beller on Monday. Beller, a former supporter and now critic of ex-Bolivian president Evo Morales, accused Cerimedo of the attack, saying she was his girlfriend and is four weeks pregnant with his child.  She also said he hit and choked her on previous occasions and that she knew about supposed shady schemes involving Cerimedo, President Paz and their families. Cerimedo’s lawyer, Margarita Arce, denied that the two were in a relationship and that he is the father of Beller’s child. According to the attorney “they just flirted when they first met, nothing more.” Arce told Argentine broadcaster Radio Rivadavia Beller staged “a political show” and said the whole ordeal is “a fantasy of hers.”  “[Cerimedo] certainly did not order Beller’s murder. We, as the defense, believe this was a staged attack,” Arce said. “She was the one who set it all up and is blaming Cerimedo because she knows he is very close to President Paz.” Arce also accused Beller of working for ex-President Morales and said she “wants to dismantle the current government.” Cerimedo’s testimony Cerimedo said he first met Beller in late 2025 and, while they initially spoke about matters relating to his work with Paz, their contact soon became “more personal.” “She started staying at my apartment in La Paz. We began a friendship and since then I’ve maintained a very on-and-off sentimental relationship with her, until August 17, at the hotel,” Cerimedo said. Beller had said the two lived together until right before the attack. He added that he had been with her at a clinic on Sunday because she was feeling unwell, “nauseous and with bad headaches” due to her pregnancy. They stayed together at the hotel and, on early Monday, he left for La Paz after paying for their stay, he said. In jail Cerimedo is under pretrial detention. Prosecutors are expected to formally press charges on Thursday. The advisor was arrested on Tuesday at Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Initial reports said he was about to board a flight to Buenos Aires. However, his other lawyer, Ernesto Giraldes, said Cerimedo was there because he had just landed from La Paz and was on his way to visit Beller at the hospital after she told him she had been hospitalized. On Tuesday, La Paz prosecutors opened another investigation against Cerimedo for alleged illicit enrichment. Two properties linked to the Argentine advisor were raided that day, an operation during which police seized money, a phone, a car and furniture. Beller posted a photo of a drawer full of money and a plaque saying Cerimedo was a “personal advisor” to Paz. Lawyer Arce said “it is not a crime” to have an amount of money equal to US$3,000 in a drawer. Beller’s injuries According to a medical report leaked to the press, Beller was treated and operated on after sustaining exposed fractures to her right arm, as well as injuries to her neck, chest and left shoulder. Two bullets were removed from her body. The report confirmed she is four and a half to five weeks pregnant and added that, while she has “anxiety related to the traumatic event and the hospitalization,” she is lucid and responding well to treatment. Beller has given several interviews from her hospital bed, including one on camera after saying she had requested Bolivian news channel DTV to visit her so she could make a statement accusing Cerimedo of the attack and saying she has evidence of illegal business dealings involving him and Paz. She also posted screenshots of alleged WhatsApp conversations with Cerimedo in which they discussed incidents of him assaulting her.