Original article: Socio de Cerimedo aparece en la ruta del dinero del Rechazo: aportó $4 millones a organización que difundió información falsa

Associate of Fernando Cerimedo Emerges in Funding Route of Anti-Reform Campaign: Contributed $4 Million to Organization Spreading Misinformation

The connection between far-right political operator Fernando Cerimedo and the anti-reform campaign deepens with the revelation of new details. According to official records from the Electoral Service (Servel), Cerimedo’s Chilean associate, lawyer Enrique García, made a substantial donation to a civil organization that spread false propaganda during the 2022 constitutional plebiscite.

Specifically, the group “United We Are Stronger” received nearly 33 million pesos in donations, of which 4 million came directly from García, establishing a direct financial link between Cerimedo’s circle and the dissemination of misinformation during a crucial electoral process in our country.

According to records from the Official Journal, the lawyer, a graduate of the law school at the University of the Andes, established Numen Spa in Santiago on September 8, 2020, which shares its name with Cerimedo’s advertising company in Argentina.

During the campaign, Cerimedo was photographed at the National Renewal headquarters alongside García, in a meeting that brought together members of the UDI and the People’s Party.

Through Numen Spa, the Argentinian consultant was contracted by the so-called “Common House,” an operation for anti-reform, where he collaborated with the current director of the Communications Secretariat (Secom), Felipe Costabal, and Alejandro Irarrázaval, chief advisor of the Second Floor of La Moneda.

According to an investigation by CIPER, Servel documents indicate that “United We Are Stronger” was one of the 75 civil organizations authorized to receive donations and campaign under special rules for the exit plebiscite. 

In total, it gathered $32.91 million, allocating the majority of those funds, around $27 million, to promoting the campaign titled “Not Like This” through radio messages and flyers distributed in public spaces. The existence of this private financing for political propaganda, without the obligation for a detailed expenditure report, allowed the disseminated content to escape the usual transparency checks governing traditional campaigns, creating an opaque space now under scrutiny.

Enrique García’s contribution, made on August 10, 2022, is not an isolated incident but adds to other donations, such as that of journalist Tomás Yáñez Pelay, who donated $1,080,000 and currently works in the cabinet of Security Minister Martín Arrau.

Yáñez’s participation as a donor highlights how the funding chain for the anti-reform campaign connects directly to officials in José Antonio Kast’s government, while García’s role as Cerimedo’s liaison in Chile places the case at the center of the debate over external influence in the country’s democratic processes.

Millions to Spread False Information

The connection goes beyond finances, as the campaign “Not Like This” funded by these resources was characterized by the dissemination of false information. A review of the flyers and radio messages conducted by CIPER confirmed the inclusion of at least three false claims and two misleading pieces of information regarding the content of the proposed new Constitution drafted by the Constitutional Convention. Among the “fake news” were assertions that the text would take away Carabineros’ public order duties, allow demonstrators to enter homes without permission, and eliminate the free-choice bonus in Fonasa. It additionally included misleading data, such as claims that three million people would switch to Fonasa or that subsidized private schools could be quickly eliminated.

The Shadow of Cerimedo in Chile

The name Fernando Cerimedo has been at the center of public debate following his arrest in Bolivia on August 18, where he currently faces four charges, including attempted femicide against his ex-partner Nadia Beller; money laundering; domestic violence; and alleged cover-ups of flights linked to drug trafficking. However, his connection to Chile and the local right is prior and deep. 

In 2023, Cerimedo himself stated in an interview with the Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism (CLIP) that a group of businessmen hired him to work on the anti-reform campaign and that he managed to bring together 52 civil associations, although he did not specify which ones or the exact nature of his participation.

In statements to Infobae, the operator acknowledged creating 50,000 fake accounts that operated in Argentina, alongside others used in Chile, which highlights his capability to operate large-scale disinformation networks.

Revelations about Cerimedo’s involvement in Chile have deepened with statements from his ex-partner Nadia Beller, who told Radio Biobío that the consultant was openly boasting about his role in José Antonio Kast’s presidential campaign.

“I am absolutely sure that he worked with Kast’s team, because that was one of the things he bragged about: that he had made a new president,” Beller asserted, directly linking the consultant to the current president.

The case has gained institutional relevance, as the Chamber of Deputies approved the creation of the Cerimedo Commission to investigate the extent of his influence and networks in the country, the manipulation of public opinion in elections and plebiscites, as well as the consultant’s ties to Kast’s inner circle, while the North Central Prosecutor’s Office opened a criminal investigation. 

The opacity of the system, which did not require these civil organizations to provide a detailed expense report or identify the contractors for their campaigns, has hindered knowledge of who designed the “Not Like This” strategy. However, García’s substantial contribution and his connection to Cerimedo reveal a crucial aspect of the money trail that financed disinformation. The lack of response from Enrique García and Tomás Yáñez to inquiries from CIPER until the closing of the investigation regarding the funding of “United We Are Stronger” adds a veil of silence over individual responsibilities in this episode that raises more questions about the extent of Cerimedo’s influence in Chile’s political landscape.

Featured Photo: Lawyer Enrique García Arancibia/LinkedIn.