Luis Dyer, Peru's Minister of Health and former head of poll watchers for the Fuerza Popular party, denied knowing Fernando Cerimedo, the Argentine political consultant linked to far-right politicians across the region and, in Peru, to Keiko Fujimori's campaign.
Dyer's denial came after Nadia Beller, Cerimedo's former partner, posted screenshots on social media of conversations in which Cerimedo appears to belong to a WhatsApp group called "Defensores del Peru," the same name used by Fuerza Popular's network of poll watchers.
Dyer told the radio station RPP that when he was in charge of poll watchers, there were close to 100,000 chats called "Defensores del Peru." He said he did not know Cerimedo and had never had a conversation with him, adding that there were similar chats in which he himself had not even taken part.
Cerimedo is accused of working to influence public opinion in favor of the politicians he advises and of alleged corruption offenses. He is currently held in Bolivia, where he is under investigation for attempted femicide after being accused of taking part in an attempt to kill Beller.
Links to Keiko Fujimori
Cerimedo's ties to Peru go beyond a passing relationship, according to an investigation by La Republica's investigative unit. It found that the consultant crossed paths with Keiko Fujimori on Tuesday, February 10 this year, at the Hispanic Prosperity Gala held at the Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, where Cerimedo received recognition from the organization behind the event.
Fujimori leads Fuerza Popular, the party founded by her father, former President Alberto Fujimori. Other figures close to her, including Carlos Diaz-Rosillo and Damian Valenzuela, both advisers to her government, have also been linked to the Argentine consultant.
Cerimedo was also in Peru during Fujimori's inauguration. Beller told La Republica that on July 28, Cerimedo sent her a photograph taken at the Marriott hotel in Miraflores, showing him with a woman Beller said acted as a liaison to Fujimori. Beller said she forwarded the image from her phone to the newspaper to support her account.
Case moves through Congress and courts
Separately, the party Juntos por el Peru has proposed creating a congressional investigative commission to look into the Cerimedo case. Cerimedo has also been transferred to a maximum-security prison in Bolivia, where he is due to serve 180 days of pretrial detention.
