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Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Former Colombian president convicted of witness tampering and bribery
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has been convicted of witness tampering and bribery in a historic trial that shocked the South American nation. The ruling followed an almost six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that Uribe tried to influence witnesses who accused him of links to a paramilitary group. The 73-year-old — who was president from 2002 to 2010 — faces up to 12 years in prison but a sentencing will be delivered in a separate hearing. He is Colombia's first-ever former head of state to be convicted of a crime. Uribe is expected to appeal the ruling, having maintained his innocence. He was not in court in the capital, Bogota, for the verdict as the judge has so far not ordered his arrest. The former president attended the trial virtually and could be seen shaking his head as the verdict was read out. Uribe is a polarising figure in Colombia, where many credit him for saving the country from becoming a failed state, while others associate him with human rights violations and the rise of paramilitary groups in the 1990s. Rubio criticises ruling In her ruling, Judge Sandra Heredia said there was sufficient evidence to find that Uribe conspired with a lawyer to persuade three imprisoned former members of paramilitary groups into changing testimony they had provided to Ivan Cepeda, a left-wing senator. Cepeda had launched an investigation into Uribe's alleged links to a paramilitary group. The case dates back to 2012 when Uribe filed a libel suit against Cepeda before the Supreme Court. However, in an unexpected twist, the high court dismissed the charges and instead began investigating Uribe in 2018. During Uribe's presidency, the Colombian army forced Latin America's oldest leftist insurgency, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), into remote areas and held peace talks which led to the disarmament of more than 13,000 fighters in 2016. Known for his work ethic and temper, Uribe still has many supporters in Colombia and is one of the fiercest opponents of the current president, leftist ex-guerrilla Gustavo Petro. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacted to the ruling as it became clear that Judge Heredia would find the former president guilty of bribery. "Uribe's only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland," Rubio wrote on Monday on X. "The weaponisation of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent." Colombian President Gustavo Petro defended the ruling. He wrote on X that "a solid justice system" would allow Colombia to emerge from violence. He added in another message that Rubio was interfering with Colombian sovereignty. "The world must respect Colombia's judges," Petro wrote. Heredia said that her ruling should not be interpreted as "a victory for anyone" but as "an act of justice". State crimes Critics blame Uribe for several state crimes. According to Colombia's Truth Commission, which was set up in 2017, more than 6,400 civilians were executed by the Colombian army and identified as members of rebel groups by soldiers seeking promotions during the conflict with paramilitary groups. This phenomenon reportedly peaked during Uribe's government. Prosecutors accused Uribe of sending lawyers to meet with imprisoned ex-paramilitary members and pressuring them to withdraw testimony they had given to Cepeda. During the trial, Uribe denied trying to manipulate the witnesses, but acknowledged requesting interviews with them as part of his preparation for the trial. He said this was also done to verify testimony that was also being used in a murder trial against his brother, Santiago Uribe, who was also accused of links to armed paramilitaries. Cepeda spoke to the press after the ruling and said he would continue to fight for truth and justice for the victim of Colombia's conflict. "No one can defy or sully the rule of law," he said.
Sharjah 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sharjah 24
Colombian ex-president Uribe guilty of witness tampering
The 73-year-old -- who led Colombia from 2002 to 2010 -- was found guilty of asking right-wing paramilitaries to lie about their alleged links to him. As the judge started reading out her verdict Monday, Uribe -- who attended the trial virtually -- sat shaking his head. The still-powerful ex-president is expected to hear his sentence on Friday. He risks 12 years in prison. The judgement brought rapid condemnation from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who decried "the weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges." A law-and-order hardliner, Uribe was a close ally of the United States and retains close ties to the American right. At home his popularity has waned as alleged rights abuses during his tenure have come to light. Even before the ruling and Rubio's high-profile attack, a Colombian lawyers' guild asked for more protection for Judge Sandra Heredia, who is presiding over this case. Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro shot back at Rubio's criticism and insisted the judiciary was independent. Allegations "to the contrary were an insult that would not be tolerated", he said. Dirty war Paramilitary groups emerged in the 1980s in Colombia to fight Marxist guerrillas that had taken up arms against the state. A plethora of armed groups that emerged in the standoff adopted cocaine as their main source of income -- the genesis of a deadly rivalry for resources and trafficking routes that continues to this day. Uribe led a relentless military campaign against drug cartels and the FARC guerrilla army, which signed a peace deal with his successor Juan Manuel Santos in 2016 -- much to Uribe's chagrin. After leftist senator Ivan Cepeda accused him of ties with paramilitary groups responsible for human rights violations, Uribe is alleged to have contacted jailed ex-fighters to lie for him. The judge Monday found him guilty on two charges: interfering with witnesses and "procedural fraud." Popular politician Uribe remains popular in Colombia for his anti-FARC campaigns, and is still a prominent voice on the right. Recent opinion polls revealed him to be the South American country's best loved politician. In 2019, thousands protested in Bogota and Medellin when he was indicted in the case, and on Monday, a smaller group of followers gathered outside the court wearing masks fashioned after his image and chanting: "Uribe, innocent!" They clashed with a group of critics. The investigation against Uribe began in 2018 and has had numerous twists and turns, with several attorneys-general seeking to close the case. It gained new impetus under Attorney General Luz Camargo, picked by Petro -- himself a former guerrilla and a political arch-foe of Uribe. More than 90 witnesses testified in the trial, which opened in May 2024. Prosecutors produced evidence during the trial of least one paramilitary ex-fighter who said he was contacted by Uribe to change his story. Vengeance The former president is also under investigation in other matters. He has testified before prosecutors in a preliminary probe into a 1997 paramilitary massacre of farmers when he was governor of the western Antioquia department. A complaint has also been filed against him in Argentina, where universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes committed anywhere in the world. That complaint stems from Uribe's alleged involvement in the more than 6,000 executions and forced disappearances of civilians by the military when he was president. Uribe insists his trial is a product of "political vengeance."
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Colombian former President found guilty of witness tampering
A Colombian court on Monday (July 28, 2025) found Alvaro Uribe guilty of witness tampering, making him the South American country's first former President to be convicted of a crime. The 73-year-old, who was President from 2002 to 2010, was found guilty of trying to persuade witnesses to lie for him in a separate investigation. He risks 12 years in prison in the highly politicized case, but the sentence has not yet been pronounced. Uribe was also the first Colombian ex-president to go on trial. As the judge started reading out her verdict, Uribe — who attended the trial virtually — sat shaking his head. The matter dates to 2012, when Uribe accused leftist senator Ivan Cepeda before the Supreme Court of hatching a plot to falsely link him to right-wing paramilitary groups involved in Colombia's long-standing armed conflict. The court decided against prosecuting Cepeda and turned its sights on the senator's claims against Uribe instead. Paramilitary groups emerged in the 1980s in Colombia to fight Marxist guerrillas that had taken up arms against the state two decades earlier with the stated goal of combating poverty and political marginalization, especially in rural areas. A plethora of armed groups that emerged in the standoff adopted cocaine as their main source of income -- the genesis of a deadly rivalry for resources and trafficking routes that continues to this day. Uribe was a politician on the right of the political spectrum. He led a relentless military campaign against drug cartels and the FARC guerrilla army that signed a peace deal with his successor Juan Manuel Santos in 2016, much to Uribe's chagrin. After Cepeda accused him of ties with paramilitary groups responsible for human rights violations, Uribe is alleged to have contacted jailed ex-fighters to lie for him. He claimed he only wanted to convince them to tell the truth. Popular politician Uribe remains popular in Colombia for his anti-FARC campaigns, and a prominent voice on the right. Recent polls revealed him to be the South American country's most trusted politician. In 2019, thousands protested in Bogota and Medellin when he was indicted in the case. The investigation against Uribe began in 2018 and has had numerous twists and turns, with several attorneys-general seeking to close the case. It gained new impetus under Attorney General Luz Camargo, picked by current leftist President Gustavo Petro -- himself a former guerrilla and a political arch-foe of Uribe. More than 90 witnesses testified in the trial, which opened in May 2024. Prosecutors produced evidence during the trial of least one paramilitary ex-fighter who said he was contacted by Uribe to change his story. 'Vengeance' The former President is also under investigation in other matters. He has testified before prosecutors in a preliminary probe into a 1997 paramilitary massacre of subsistence farmers when he was governor of the western Antioquia department. A complaint has also been filed against him in Argentina, where universal jurisdiction allows for the prosecution of crimes committed anywhere in the world. That complaint stems from Uribe's alleged involvement in the more than 6,000 executions and forced disappearances of civilians by the military when he was President. Uribe insists his trial is a product of "political vengeance." On Sunday, he gave an hourlong speech in his native Medellin in which he criticized the administration of Petro, who in 2022 became Colombia's first leftist President. "We need an enormous victory in the coming year," Uribe said, in reference to presidential elections set for 2026.
DW
2 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Colombia: Ex-president Uribe convicted of witness tampering – DW – 07/29/2025
The verdict is the first time a former Colombian head of state has been convicted of a crime. Alvaro Uribe faces up to 12 years in prison. Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was found guilty of witness tampering on Monday. A court in Bogota found that Uribe, 73, who led the South American nation from 2002 to 2010, had bribed witnesses to lie for him in a separate investigation into alleged ties to right-wing paramilitary groups responsible for human rights violations. Judge Sandra Heredia of the 44th Criminal Circuit Court said Uribe had tried to persuade jailed ex-paramilitary Juan Guillermo Monsalve not to testify about the former president's alleged links to the illegal armed groups. Uribe could be sentenced to up to 12 years in prison in the case, which marks the first time an ex-president in Colombia has been found guilty in criminal court. The case, which has been highly politicized, dates back to 2012, when the conservative ex-leader accused left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda before the Supreme Court of attempting to tie him to right-wing paramilitary groups fighting Marxist rebels in Colombia's decades-old armed conflict. Instead of prosecuting Cepeda, the court chose to probe his allegations against Uribe. The investigation against Uribe began in 2018. A year later, thousands protested in Bogota and Medellin to denounce his indictment. After several attorney generals had sought to close the case, the probe gained new momentum in 2024 when Luz Camargo was appointed by current president Gustavo Petro — Colombia's first-ever leftist president, who was himself a former guerilla and Uribe's political archrival. The right-wing paramilitary groups emerged during the 1980s to fight left-wing guerrillas engaged in an armed uprising against the Colombian state since the 1960s. The Marxist rebels were particularly active in rural Colombia, where they pledged to fight poverty and defend marginalized communities. Fuelled by the lucrative cocaine trade, dozens of rival armed groups sprang up, resulting in a deadly conflict over resources and trafficking routes that is still ongoing today. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Uribe, who served during a particularly violent period of Colombia's conflict, took a hard line against drug cartels and the left-wing Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). His successor and former political ally, Juan Manuel Santos, signed a peace deal with FARC in 2016, a move that was viewed as a deep betrayal by Uribe, who blamed his father's death on a botched kidnapping attempt by FARC rebels. Uribe remains a divisive figure in Colombia and a prominent conservative voice because of his anti-FARC history. His stance has become more popular in recent months, as more recent peace efforts with armed groups have failed under current leader Petro, who has been in office since 2022. The ex-leader is also being investigated in other cases, including a probe into a 1997 massacre by paramilitaries of subsistence farmers during his term as governor of western Antioquia. He is also facing a complaint in Argentina — which has universal jurisdiction —stemming from his alleged involvement in more than 6,000 civilian executions and forced disappearances by the Colombian military while he was president. Uribe has insisted that the proceedings against him are the result of "political vengeance."
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
Colombian ex-president Uribe convicted of witness tampering
A Colombian court on Monday, July 28, found ex-president Alvaro Uribe guilty of witness tampering in a case that saw him become the South American country's first-ever former head of state convicted of a crime. The 73-year-old, who was president from 2002 to 2010, was found guilty of trying to persuade witnesses to lie for him in a separate investigation. Uribe risks a 12-year prison sentence in the highly politicized case. The matter dates to 2012, when Uribe accused leftist senator Ivan Cepeda before the Supreme Court of hatching a plot to falsely link him to right-wing paramilitary groups involved in Colombia's long-standing armed conflict. The court decided against prosecuting Cepeda and turned its sights on his claims against Uribe instead. Paramilitary groups emerged in the 1980s in Colombia to fight Marxist guerrillas that had taken up arms against the state two decades earlier with the stated goal of combating poverty and political marginalization, especially in rural areas. A plethora of armed groups adopted cocaine as their main source of income, the genesis of a deadly rivalry for resources and trafficking routes that continues to this day. Uribe was a politician on the right of the political spectrum – like all Colombian presidents before current leader Gustavo Petro, who unseated Uribe's Democratic Center party in 2022 elections. During his tenure, Uribe led a relentless military campaign against drug cartels and the FARC guerrilla army that signed a peace deal with his successor Juan Manuel Santos in 2016. After Cepeda accused him of having had ties to paramilitary groups responsible for human rights violations, Uribe is alleged to have contacted jailed ex-fighters to lie for him. He claims he only wanted to convince them to tell the truth.
