A Colombian court has overturned former President Álvaro Uribe’s convictions for fraud and bribery, halting a years-long legal saga that had made him the country’s first ex-leader to face criminal sentencing.
A Colombian court on Tuesday overturned former President Álvaro Uribe’s convictions for fraud and bribery, ending a protracted legal battle over alleged witness tampering that could have seen him serve up to 12 years under house arrest. However, a senator involved in the case announced plans to appeal, potentially taking the matter to the Supreme Court.
Uribe, who governed Colombia from 2002 to 2010, had been sentenced in early August, becoming the country’s first former president to face a criminal conviction.
In a ruling delivered by Magistrate Manuel Antonio Merchan, a three-judge panel found that the evidence used to convict Uribe was neither sufficiently robust nor legally sound to justify the verdict.
“Bogotá’s Supreme Tribunal is repeating history, contradicting the Supreme Court of Justice and affirming that a judicial wiretap authorised by a Supreme Court magistrate against a criminal, where Uribe’s voice was heard—is private,” current President Gustavo Petro wrote on X. “That is how the history of paramilitary rule in Colombia is concealed,” added Petro, who rose to prominence as a senator by exposing links between paramilitary groups and politicians.
Uribe has consistently denied the allegations, describing the proceedings as politically motivated. The tribunal had previously suspended enforcement of his house arrest pending the outcome of this appeal.
The case centres on accusations that Uribe instructed a lawyer to bribe imprisoned paramilitaries to undermine testimony linking him to their organisations.
These paramilitary groups—funded by ranchers, landowners, and merchants seeking protection from leftist guerrillas—were found by a truth commission to have been responsible for nearly half of the more than 450,000 deaths in Colombia’s conflict between 1985 and 2018.
‘We will persevere’
In 2012, Uribe accused left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda of manipulating jailed paramilitaries to tie him to their networks. However, the Supreme Court cleared Cepeda of wrongdoing and instead determined that Uribe himself had attempted to influence witnesses.
Following Tuesday’s decision, Cepeda vowed to appeal, meaning the already 13-year-long legal saga could reach Colombia’s highest court.
In a video posted online, Cepeda criticised the ruling, saying most of the judges had chosen to disregard clear and compelling evidence.
“We will continue striving for the truth to come out in this case and in others where Álvaro Uribe bears responsibility for serious crimes,” he said. “We will persevere.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had previously claimed Uribe was the target of judicial “weaponisation,” welcomed the ruling. “Colombia’s justice has prevailed as former President Uribe is acquitted after years of political persecution against him and his family,” Rubio wrote on X.
Petro, meanwhile, condemned Rubio’s earlier remarks as interference and defended Colombia’s judicial independence.
Relations between Petro and the Trump administration have been strained, with Washington threatening tariffs over alleged Colombian links to drug trafficking. Earlier this year, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Brazil following the conviction of his ally Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup.
The United States remains Colombia’s largest export market.
As Colombia approaches presidential and legislative elections next year, several of Uribe’s allies are preparing to run to succeed Petro, who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term. Cepeda, known for championing victims of state violence, is among those considering a presidential bid for the ruling leftist coalition.
Iran's military has threatened to launch sustained attacks on U.S. bases and interests across the Middle East if Washington resumes milita...
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Servic...
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democra...
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
The Left Party won Sunday's Berlin state election with 25.5 per cent of the vote in the preliminary result, ahead of the Christian Democrats (CDU) on 19.1 per cent. This marks a major shift in the city's political landscape and a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's ruling coalition.
A group of French nationals, suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS), on trial in Iraq could face execution, a member of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council told a hearing in Baghdad on Sunday.
Overnight Russian strikes on the city of Sumy, northeast Ukraine, have killed one woman and injured a man, the country's State Emergency Service has said.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has prepared sanctions targeting the entire International Criminal Court (ICC) and could announce them soon, escalating Washington's efforts to pressure the global tribunal.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged closer ties on Sunday as they sought to strengthen cooperation on geopolitical tensions, climate change, energy and the protection of democratic values.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment