Original article: “Puesta en marcha del Escudo de las Américas”: analista vincula caída de fiscal que investigaba a Cerimedo con mayor influencia de EE.UU. en Bolivia

«Launch of the Americas Shield»: Analyst Links Fall of Prosecutor Investigating Cerimedo to Increased U.S. Influence in Bolivia

Political analyst Vladimir Torrez referred to the recent events as the «beginning of the implementation of the Americas Shield and the growing influence of the United States in Bolivian politics,» following the downfall of Bolivia’s Attorney General Roger Mariaca, who was leading the investigation into the Cerimedo case.

After the U.S. Department of State announced the revocation of their visas, Mariaca and Santa Cruz’s district attorney, Alberto Zeballos, were intercepted and detained last Wednesday at the Viru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz.

Simultaneously, additional prosecutors were arrested in operations carried out in Santa Cruz as well as in Sucre, Chuquisaca.

The visa revocation and travel ban to the U.S. also affected other current and former Bolivian officials and extended to citizens from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, as part of the Americas Shield initiative launched by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Mariaca, appointed in 2024 to a six-year term as Attorney General under leftist President Luis Arce, previously served as the Attorney General of Santa Cruz. He was accused by Washington of abusing his public position by soliciting and accepting bribes to facilitate drug trafficking and help violent offenders evade justice.

Political expert Marcelo Arequipa suggested that Mariaca’s arrest signifies that Paz’s administration aims to put a ‘line under’ the case involving right-wing Latin American political operator Fernando Cerimedo.

Furthermore, they pointed out that his actions jeopardize Trump’s efforts to combat narcoterrorism, while simultaneously undermining democratic institutions in Bolivia, which participates in the Shield to strengthen the region.

In an interview with digital outlet Visión 360, analyst Torrez posited that the detention of Mariaca and other prosecutors reflects a «defeat of the bloc that led the Public Ministry against Paz’s Government«.

In contrast, Arequipa asserted that Mariaca’s apprehension indicates the Paz administration wants to dismiss the case involving right-wing political operator Fernando Cerimedo, who is currently incarcerated at the Chonchocoro prison after being charged by Bolivia’s prosecutor’s office with the alleged crime of attempted feminicide for allegedly sending «hitmen» to kill his ex-partner, lawyer Nadia Beller.

The former advisor to Rodrigo Paz also faces open charges for money laundering, domestic violence, and alleged protection of drug trafficking-related flights.

Arequipa described the arrest of prosecutor Mariaca and the expulsion of drug trafficker Sebastián Marset last March as «political dramas,» noting that Marset, according to his lawyers, was not subjected to any formal extradition proceedings.

After leaving Bolivia, Marset was transported to the United States, where he faces drug trafficking-related charges.

«In Bolivia, everyday Bolivians have been experiencing two ‘political dramas’ recently, one titled Marset and the other titled Cerimedo. There are multiple angles and various characters involved. In both narratives, the main characters are undoubtedly people from the Government, including Mariaca. Thus, I believe that this is part of a strategy to attempt to put an end to the Cerimedo narrative—perhaps not definitively but to side-line it—and begin discussing the Marset saga instead. The Government is trying to position itself as the protagonists of the good, rather than the villains,» Arequipa told Visión 360.

«Diplomatic Threat» of Paz’s Government Against Political Opponents

Following Mariaca’s arrest, Minister of Government Marco Antonio Oviedo stated that an organization had been «dismantled» within the Public Ministry, led by the now-detained Attorney General.

He also issued a warning from Rodrigo Paz’s Government: «you are either with the law, supporting the development of our nation, or you are with crime, narcoterrorism, and other crimes against humanity.»

«To those on the right side, we will work with you; to those who remain on the side of crime, we will relentlessly combat until we achieve our objectives,» he asserted.

According to analyst Torrez, Oviedo’s statements constitute «a diplomatic threat against political opponents» and indicate that «the Public Ministry will become a site of conflict in its reconfiguration in the coming days.»

«I believe that from now on, the Public Ministry will serve the interests of the Government and that potentially its last enemies will be prosecuted within this new alliance,» he added.

In Arequipa’s opinion, Oviedo’s warning is «specifically to portray the Government as the good guys in the story who are fighting the villains identified previously.«