Aug. 19 (UPI) — Bolivian prosecutors will seek six months of pretrial detention for Argentine political consultant Fernando Cerimedo, a former campaign adviser to Argentine President Javier Milei and an adviser to Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, over his alleged role as the intellectual author of a shooting attack against his former partner, Nadia Beller.

Santa Cruz departmental prosecutor Alberto Zeballos said Wednesday that prosecutors filed charges against Cerimedo for attempted femicide and will request that he remain for 180 days in Palmasola prison while the investigation moves forward, Bolivian newspaper EL DEBER reported.

“We have an alleged perpetrator in custody, as the intellectual author,” Zeballos said, referring to Cerimedo.

Prosecutors also opened a second investigation into Cerimedo in La Paz for alleged illicit enrichment after raiding two homes linked to the consultant and finding money, a satellite phone, valuables and vehicles, including one equipped with security features reserved for official use, according to La Paz departmental prosecutor Luis Carlos Torrez.

Cerimedo was detained Tuesday at Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz, hours after Beller was shot outside a hotel in the city.

Two men dressed as delivery workers approached Beller around 8:30 p.m. Monday. One of them opened fire while the other took her belongings, according to the investigation. Beller was struck by three bullets, in the neck, chest and right arm, and underwent surgery.

The two attackers fled and remained the subject of a police search. Investigators collected shell casings and security camera footage in an effort to identify them. Prosecutors said they have not ruled out the involvement of other people.

Beller told investigators that she had been in a romantic relationship with Cerimedo, leading prosecutors to initially reclassify the case from attempted murder to attempted femicide. She later publicly accused Cerimedo of being connected to the attack.

Cerimedo’s defense rejected the allegations. His attorney, Margarita Arce, described the proceedings as a “political show” aimed at destabilizing Paz’s government and said there was no evidence linking her client to the attack. She also said Cerimedo voluntarily turned over his phone to investigators.

The case has also brought Cerimedo’s role within the Bolivian government under scrutiny. Presidential spokesman José Luis Gálvez confirmed Wednesday that the Argentine served as a “cooperator and adviser” to Paz on communications and digital strategy, although he said Cerimedo had no contract and received no salary from the government. Cerimedo had previously worked on Paz’s presidential campaign.

Before arriving in Bolivia, Cerimedo gained prominence as a digital strategist for right-wing political movements in Latin America. He participated in Milei’s 2023 presidential campaign and played a role in the digital strategy of his La Libertad Avanza movement. Argentine media identified him as one of the consultants who worked with Milei during his political rise.

Cerimedo is also the founder of Argentine news outlet La Derecha Diario and worked on campaigns linked to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro before advising Paz in Bolivia.

Sources in Milei’s current government told Argentine newspaper La Nación that the president has had no relationship with Cerimedo since 2023, although they acknowledged his participation in that year’s presidential campaign.