Bogotá, Aug 2 (UNI) Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest after being found guilty of procedural fraud and witness bribery.
The 73-year-old former president had pleaded not guilty. His defence attorney previously announced that they would file an appeal, reports CNN.
Judge Sandra Heredia of Bogotá’s 44th Criminal Court announced the sentence on Friday, four days after she found the former president guilty of the crimes. Heredia had acquitted Uribe of another charge for alleged bribery of a prosecutor.
Uribe, who governed Colombia from 2002 to 2010, is the country’s first former president to be criminally convicted.
The case began in 2012, when Uribe, of the now-opposition Centro Democrático party, accused Senator Iván Cepeda, of the ruling Historic Pact, of trying to link him to the creation of a paramilitary group. Cepeda has denied the accusations.
The situation took a turn in 2018, when the Colombian Supreme Court decided to open an investigation against Uribe for alleged witness tampering.
After years of investigations and legal appeals by Uribe’s defence, in May 2024, the Colombian Prosecutor’s Office formally charged him with three crimes: procedural fraud, bribery in criminal proceedings and bribery.
The accusation led to a trial that lasted 67 days and concluded this week.
Uribe maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, a position supported by politicians such as former president Iván Duque and other opposition politicians.
In contrast, figures close to the government celebrated the ruling, which they considered a sign of justice.
