Deputy Santana Brings Cerimedo Case to Prosecutor’s Office: Demands Investigation into Bots, Political Campaigns, and Links to Kast’s Network

Original article: Diputado Santana lleva caso Cerimedo a Fiscalía: pide investigar bots, campañas políticas y vínculos con el entorno de Kast

Deputy Juan Santana (PS) filed a complaint with the Public Ministry on Thursday, requesting an investigation into a network of bots linked to Argentine consultant Fernando Cerimedo, his influence on political campaigns in Chile, and his possible ties to activities in the country, including connections with President José Antonio Kast’s circle.

Previously, the lawmaker asked the Electoral Service (Servel) to clarify whether Cerimedo’s company Numen received payments or provided services for electoral campaigns in our country.

Santana’s actions come on the heels of the arrest of a political operator from the Latin American right in Bolivia, who faces four charges including attempted femicide against his ex-partner Nadia Beller, money laundering, domestic violence, and alleged cover-up of drug trafficking flights.

During a raid on one of Cerimedo’s residences in La Paz, authorities discovered the equivalent of $50,000 in Bolivian currency, dollars, and euros, along with a «mini bot farm» used to generate thousands of messages on social media through artificially created accounts. In an interview with Infobae in May 2023, Cerimedo admitted to operating around 50,000 bots in Argentina, in addition to others used in Chile.

Amid the judicial proceedings, Cerimedo’s ex-partner, who survived an assassination attempt allegedly orchestrated by him, accused the existence of a digital structure comprising thousands of automated accounts designed to shift narratives and promote specific discourses on social media.

Deputy Santana asserts that these tools could have been utilized in Chile to distort public debate and favor specific political interests, prompting his decision to approach the prosecutor’s office for clarification.

The legal action is focused on potential cyber crimes and Cerimedo’s direct relationship with three advisors to President José Antonio Kast, who were involved in the Rejection campaign during the 2020 plebiscite.

It is worth recalling that through the Numen Spa, established by his Chilean partner, lawyer Enrique García Arancibia, the Argentine consultant was hired by the «Casa Común,» a command for Rejection in 2020, based in Vitacura and led by former La Polar vice president and Isapre Colmena, and former National Libertarian deputy Gonzalo de la Carrera, along with former Codelco president (2010-2014) Gerardo Jofré and other right-wing and far-right businessmen.

According to reports from El Mostrador, Cerimedo was active in this organization alongside Alejandro Irarrázaval, the current Chief of Advisors of the Second Floor at La Moneda, Felipe Costabal, the current head of the Communications Secretariat (Secom), known as «Yeti,» and Ignacio Dülger, a former advisor and regional councilor. Their primary task was to work on campaigns supporting the Rejection option, both for the entry and exit plebiscites at that time.

Through his social media, the socialist deputy stated that the judicial investigation must clarify the influence of advisors to far-right figures such as Javier Milei in Argentina, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia, and Nasry Asfura in Honduras, within the political landscape of Chile, particularly their links to the current president’s network.

«Currently, there are three advisors to Kast who were in the Rejection campaign when that command purchased polls from Cerimedo, who is detained in Bolivia for running bot farms. The last is the head of Secom, who also owns an advertising agency and whose invoice for $160 million was already rejected by the Electoral Service. We will be addressing Minister (Claudio) Alvarado to transparency the advertising contracts of Secom since March, the business interests of its director, and whether he has contracted digital advisory services abroad,» Deputy Santana stated in a post on X.

This scenario raises questions about the financing and objectives of that external advisory. Santana emphasized that transparency is crucial and reminded that members of Javier Milei’s team have publicly acknowledged that the Argentine also participated in campaigns for José Antonio Kast.

«Thus, there should be no issue in ensuring transparency on this matter,» Santana affirmed on his X account, defending the legitimacy of his request.

With the complaint filed with the prosecutor’s office, Santana aims for the justice system to determine whether the use of bot networks, automated accounts, and digital strategies by Cerimedo could have influenced public opinion and political campaigns in our country, while the far-right consultant remains detained in Bolivia facing charges ranging from attempted femicide to illicit enrichment.