Bolivian lawmakers Senator Ana María Crispín and Deputy Patricia Patiño of the Christian Democratic Party exposed an alleged payment scheme inside the Legislative Assembly on Friday, October 2, 2026, aimed at securing votes to dismiss and imprison Attorney General Roger Mariaca.
QR Codes and Foreign Presence Inside the Legislative Assembly
The unfolding political crisis broke into public view on the 19th floor of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly, where Senator Crispín filmed a foreign man operating a laptop and displaying QR codes to parliamentarians. The individual identified himself as a representative of the organization Escudo de las Américas after being confronted by the parlamentar. “Inside is a representative of the Escudo de las Américas, who came from the United States. He was with his laptop and QR. We caught him with the deputy. It’s not suitcases, it’s a QR,” Senator Crispín stated during the assembly session.
The visiting group, consisting of four individuals in total, occupied a restricted visitor area with closed doors and refused to present identification or official credentials when challenged by lawmakers. Alongside the American representative, lawmakers reported the presence of foreign observers monitoring the proceedings. “Here in the Assembly there is someone from Argentina and another person from another country checking if the interest they have in this case will be met,” Crispín added.
The Target: Roger Mariaca and the Fernando Cerimedo Investigation
The political maneuvering directly connects to the legal troubles of Argentine digital operator Fernando Cerimedo, who faces serious charges including attempted femicide, illicit enrichment, and drug trafficking. Cerimedo previously worked as an advisor to the president of Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, and the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, while maintaining close ties to right-wing political networks across Latin America backed by Donald Trump. Well-known in Brazil for his involvement in the 2022 campaigns aimed at discrediting the national electoral system, Cerimedo’s legal exposure in Bolivia triggered a defensive mobilization among regional political allies.
Attorney General Roger Mariaca found himself targeted for removal precisely because his office led the active criminal investigations against Cerimedo. Mariaca currently sits in formal detention, facing charges related to controlled substances and organization criminal. Government allies, however, offered competing narratives regarding the corruption surrounding the prosecutor’s office. Presidential spokesperson José Luis Gálvez alleged that lawmakers from the previous legislative term accepted drug-trafficking money to support the choice of the attorney general, though he presented no evidence to substantiate the claim.
Bypassing Leadership and the Push for an Interim Appointee
The timing of the legislative session intensified suspicions among opposing factions within Congress. Senate President Diego Ávila advanced the extraordinary meeting to Friday, October 2, taking advantage of the absence of the vice-president of Bolivia and president of the Assembly, Edmand Lara, who was traveling in Spain. The session had originally been scheduled for Monday, October 5.
Ruling party deputies and allied legislators criticized the rushed schedule. Deputy Edwin Valda, an ally of Edmand Lara, accused the government of President Rodrigo Paz of seeking legislative support to allow an interim attorney general to be chosen by decree. “It was found that there are QR payments to dismiss or get support so that, by decree, an interim prosecutor is chosen. It is something very suspicious and uncomfortable to observe,” Valda told the Agencia de Noticias Fides (ANF).
| Individual / Group | Affiliation | Reported Role or Allegation |
|---|---|---|
| Ana María Crispín & Patricia Patiño | Christian Democratic Party (PDC) | Lawmakers who filmed the alleged QR code payment scheme on October 2, 2026. |
| Fernando Cerimedo | Argentine Digital Operator | Subject of criminal investigations for drug trafficking and illicit enrichment; former advisor to the presidents of Bolivia and Argentina. |
| Escudo de las Américas Representative | United States-based Organization | Confronted on the 19th floor of the Assembly distributing QR codes via laptop. |
| Roger Mariaca | State Attorney General | Imprisoned and targeted for dismissal following his investigations into Cerimedo. |
| Diego Ávila | Senate President | Advanced the legislative session during Edmand Lara’s trip to Spain. |
Similar allegations of payment in the legislature had been made during recent votes on projects sent by the Paz government. Protests from lawmakers belonging to the Christian Democratic Party and other opposition blocs underscore deep institutional fragility within the Bolivian legislature as external political operatives attempt to influence domestic judicial appointments.
