Two Suspects to Testify in Attempted Murder Case Involving Former Milei Advisor

Two men accused of shooting lawyer Nadia Beller in Bolivia are scheduled to testify before a judge this Monday. The suspects, identified as Colombian national Víctor Hugo C. Z. and Róger A. C. face accusations of executing the attack and providing the firearm, respectively. The prosecution intends to formally request preventive detention for both men during the hearing. Víctor Hugo C. Z. surrendered voluntarily to authorities, denying any involvement and claiming he does not know Fernando Cerimedo, the man accused of orchestrating the attack.

Fernando Cerimedo, a former advisor to Argentine President Javier Milei, remains in preventive detention for 180 days at the Palmasola prison. He is accused of attempted femicide as the intellectual author of the crime. Nadia Beller, who has since been discharged from the hospital, alleges that Cerimedo planned the ambush because she possessed sensitive information and was pregnant. Prosecutors point to messages extracted from Cerimedo's phone, including one that reportedly stated the victim had been shot, as key evidence. Cerimedo's defense has challenged the validity of these messages.

President Javier Milei has attempted to distance himself from the incident. In a recent report, he stated he has no relationship with Cerimedo and had not seen him since 2023. Beller has further alleged that Cerimedo maintained unofficial ties with members of the Bolivian government and may have used a loan of 50,000 US dollars to pay the material executors of the attack.