Latest news with #Sandra Heredia
CBS News
02-08-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Colombian ex-President Álvaro Uribe sentenced to 12 years house arrest for bribery
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced Friday to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy. The sentence, which Uribe said will be appealed, followed a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s. "Politics prevailed over the law in sentencing," Uribe said after Friday's hearing. Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing. He faced up to 12 years in prison after being convicted Monday. His attorney had asked the court to allow Uribe to remain free while he appeals the verdict. Judge Sandra Heredia on Friday said she did not grant the defense's request because it would be "easy" for the former president to leave the country to "evade the imposed sanction." Heredia also banned Uribe from holding public office for eight years and fined him about $776,000. Ahead of Friday's sentencing, Uribe posted on X that he was preparing arguments to support his appeal. He added that one must "think much more about the solution than the problem" during personal crises. The appeals court will have until early October to issue a ruling, which either party could then challenge before Colombia's Supreme Court. The former president governed from 2002 to 2010 with strong support from the United States. He is a polarizing 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. Heredia on Monday said she had seen enough evidence to determine that Uribe conspired with a lawyer to coax three former paramilitary group members, who were in prison, into changing testimony they had provided to Ivan Cepeda, a leftist senator who had launched an investigation into Uribe's alleged ties to a paramilitary group. Uribe in 2012 filed a libel suit against Cepeda in the Supreme Court. But in a twist, the high court in 2018 dismissed the accusations against Cepeda and began investigating Uribe. Martha Peñuela Rosales, a supporter of Uribe's party in the capital, Bogota, said she wept and prayed after hearing of the sentence. "It's an unjust sentence. He deserves to be free," she said. Meanwhile, Sergio Andrés Parra, who protested against Uribe outside the courthouse, said the 12-year sentence "is enough" and, even if the former president appeals, "history has already condemned him." During Uribe's presidency, Colombia's military attained some of its biggest battlefield victories against Latin America's oldest leftist insurgency, pushing the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia into remote pockets and forcing the group's leadership into peace talks that led to the disarmament of more than 13,000 fighters in 2016.
South China Morning Post
02-08-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Colombia ex-president Alvaro Uribe gets 12 years house arrest for bribery
Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced on Friday to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy. The sentence, which Uribe said will be appealed against, followed a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s. Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing and characterised the case as 'political persecution'. He faced up to 12 years in prison after being convicted on Monday. His lawyer had asked the court to allow Uribe to remain free while he appealed against the verdict. Judge Sandra Heredia on Friday said she did not grant the defence's request because it would be 'easy' for the former president to leave the country to 'evade the imposed sanction'. Heredia also banned Uribe from holding public office for eight years and fined him about US$776,000. A woman holds a sign with an image of Colombian ex-president Alvaro Uribe during his sentencing hearing in Bogotá on Friday. Photo: AFP Ahead of Friday's sentencing hearing, Uribe posted on social media that he was preparing arguments to support his appeal. He added that one must 'think much more about the solution than the problem' during personal crises.
South China Morning Post
02-08-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Colombia ex-president Alvaro Uribe gets 12 years house arrest for bribery
Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced on Friday to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy. The sentence, which Uribe said will be appealed against, followed a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s. Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing and characterised the case as 'political persecution'. He faced up to 12 years in prison after being convicted on Monday. His lawyer had asked the court to allow Uribe to remain free while he appealed against the verdict. Judge Sandra Heredia on Friday said she did not grant the defence's request because it would be 'easy' for the former president to leave the country to 'evade the imposed sanction'. Heredia also banned Uribe from holding public office for eight years and fined him about US$776,000. A woman holds a sign with an image of Colombian ex-president Alvaro Uribe during his sentencing hearing in Bogotá on Friday. Photo: AFP Ahead of Friday's sentencing hearing, Uribe posted on social media that he was preparing arguments to support his appeal. He added that one must 'think much more about the solution than the problem' during personal crises.
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Colombian President Uribe found guilty in bribery trial that threatens the strongman's legacy
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was convicted of witness tampering and bribery Monday in a historic trial that gripped the South American nation and threatened to tarnish the conservative strongman's legacy. The ruling followed a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that Uribe attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group founded by ranchers in the 1990s. Uribe, 73, was not in court in the capital, Bogota, for the verdict as the judge has so far not ordered his arrest. He followed the ruling from his home outside Medellin but did not immediately speak about it. Uribe faces up to 12 years in prison but a sentencing will be delivered in a separate hearing. He is expected to appeal the ruling. The former president, who governed from 2002 to 2010 with strong support from the United States, is a polarizing 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. While the ruling was read, Uribe's opponents clashed briefly with his supporters outside the courthouse. In a ruling that lasted more than 10 hours, Judge Sandra Heredia said there was enough evidence to determine that Uribe conspired with a lawyer to coax three former members of paramilitary groups who were in prison into changing testimony they had provided to Ivan Cepeda, a left-wing senator who had launched an investigation into Uribe's alleged ties to a paramilitary group. The case dates to 2012, when Uribe filed a libel suit against Cepeda with the Supreme Court. But in a twist, the high court dismissed the charges against Cepeda and began investigating Uribe in 2018. During Uribe's presidency, Colombia's military attained some of its biggest battlefield victories against Latin America's oldest leftist insurgency, pushing the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia into remote pockets and forcing the group's leadership into peace talks that led to the disarmament of more than 13,000 fighters in 2016. Known for his tireless work ethic and short temper, Uribe still has legions of followers in Colombia and is one of the fiercest opponents of the current president, former leftist guerrilla Gustavo Petro. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reacted to the ruling, as it became evident that Judge Heredia was going to 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 weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent.' Colombian President Gustavo Petro defended the ruling, writing on X that 'a strong justice system' will enable Colombia to emerge from violence. He added in another message that Rubio was interfering with Colombia's sovereignty. 'The world must respect the judges of Colombia" Petro wrote. Heredia said that her ruling should not be interpreted as 'a victory for anyone' but as 'an act of justice.' Critics also blame Uribe for state crimes. According to a truth commission created in 2017, more than 6,400 civilians were executed by the Colombian military and identified as members of rebel groups by soldiers seeking promotions during the conflict, in a phenomenon that peaked during the Uribe administration. Prosecutors accused Uribe of sending lawyers to meet with imprisoned former paramilitary henchmen and pressure them to drop testimony that they had provided to Senator Cepeda. During the trial, Uribe denied trying to flip witnesses but acknowledged seeking interviews with the men as part of his preparation for trial and to verify testimonies that were also being used in a murder trial against his brother, Santiago Uribe, who was also accused of ties to the armed paramilitaries. Cepeda spoke to journalists after the ruling, and said that he would continue to fight for 'truth and justice" for victims of Colombia's conflict. 'No one can defy and taint the rule of law,' he said. ___ Follow AP's coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at Astrid Suarez And Manuel Rueda, The Associated Press
