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Colombia's Uribe convicted of witness tampering, becomes first ex-president found guilty
Colombia's Uribe convicted of witness tampering, becomes first ex-president found guilty

Malay Mail

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • Malay Mail

Colombia's Uribe convicted of witness tampering, becomes first ex-president found guilty

BOGOTA, July 29 — A Colombian judge on Monday convicted former President Alvaro Uribe of abuse of process and bribery of a public official in a long-running witness tampering case, making him the country's first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial. Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia read her decision aloud to the court over the course of some ten hours. She found the right-wing politician not guilty of a separate bribery charge. The ruling, which Uribe's legal team said he will appeal, is the latest decision in a hugely politicised case that has run for about 13 years. The decision comes less than a year before Colombia's 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe's allies and proteges are competing for the country's top office. Uribe, 73, and his supporters say the process is a persecution and that he is innocent. His detractors have celebrated it as the deserved downfall for a man who has been repeatedly accused of close relationships with violent right-wing paramilitaries, but never convicted of any crime. Each charge carries a jail sentence of between six and 12 years. Heredia is expected to sentence Uribe on Friday, as well as decide if he will remain free on appeal. 'Justice does not kneel before power,' Heredia told the court on Monday morning as she opened her remarks. 'It is at the service of the Colombian people.' 'We want to say to Colombia that justice has arrived,' she said, adding that her full decision is some 1,000 pages long. Uribe and one of his lawyers, Jaime Granados, joined the hearing via video link, while another lawyer, Jaime Lombana, appeared in person. 'This is not the end of this process, the appeal is next and we are going to demonstrate that this decision, which we respect, is wrong,' lawyer Juan Felipe Amaya, part of Uribe's legal team, told journalists at the court. Granados told the hearing that the presumption of Uribe's innocence should be maintained and asked for him to remain free during the remainder of the process. Detractors and supporters of the former president gathered outside the court, with some Uribe backers sporting masks of his face. Even if the conviction is eventually upheld, Uribe may be allowed to serve his final sentence on house arrest because of his age. Paramilitary plot Uribe, who was president from 2002 to 2010 and oversaw a military offensive against leftist guerrilla groups, was investigated along with several allies over allegations of witness tampering carried out in an attempt to discredit accusations he had ties to paramilitaries. Judges have twice rejected requests by prosecutors to shelve the case, which stems from Uribe's allegation in 2012 that leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda had orchestrated a plot to tie him to paramilitaries. The Supreme Court said in 2018 that Cepeda had collected information from former fighters as part of his work and had not paid or pressured former paramilitaries. Instead, the court said it was Uribe and his allies who pressured witnesses. Cepeda attended the Monday hearing in person with his counsel. Uribe's trial triggered sharp criticism from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of the judge's decision. Uribe had a close relationship with the US during his two terms as president. 'Uribe's only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland. The weaponisation of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent,' Rubio said on X. 'A decision against the ex-president could generate some kind of reprisal by the government of the United States,' Banco de Bogota said in a note on Monday, referring to a proposal by US Republican lawmaker Mario Diaz-Balart to cut non-military aid to Colombia next year, partly on concerns of due process violations in the Uribe case Uribe, who was placed under house arrest for two months in 2020, is head of the powerful Democratic Center party and was a senator for years both before and after his presidency. He has repeatedly emphasised that he extradited paramilitary leaders to the United States. Colombia's truth commission says paramilitary groups, which demobilised under deals with Uribe's government, killed more than 205,000 people, nearly half of the 450,000 deaths recorded during the ongoing civil conflict. Paramilitaries, along with guerrilla groups and members of the armed forces, also committed forced disappearances, sexual violence, displacement and other crimes. Uribe joins a list of Latin American leaders who have been convicted and sometimes jailed, including Peru's Alberto Fujimori, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez and Panama's Ricardo Martinelli. — Reuters

Colombia ex-president Uribe guilty of abuse of process, bribery of a public official
Colombia ex-president Uribe guilty of abuse of process, bribery of a public official

Reuters

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • Reuters

Colombia ex-president Uribe guilty of abuse of process, bribery of a public official

BOGOTA, July 28 (Reuters) - A judge on Monday found former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe guilty of abuse of process and bribery of a public official in a years-long witness tampering case, making the right-wing politician the country's first ex-president ever convicted at trial. Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia is reading her decision aloud to the court. She found Uribe not guilty of a third charge, bribery. The ruling, which can be appealed, is the latest decision in a hugely politicized case which has run for some 13 years. Uribe, 73, and his supporters say the process is a persecution and that he is innocent, while his detractors have celebrated it as the deserved downfall for a man who has been repeatedly accused of close relationships with violent right-wing paramilitaries, but never convicted of any crime. Each charge carries a jail sentence of between 6 and 12 years. Heredia is expected to sentence Uribe in a later hearing. "Justice does not kneel before power," Heredia told the court on Monday morning, before spending about nine hours reading her decision. "It is at the service of the Colombian people." "We want to say to Colombia that justice has arrived," the judge said, adding her full decision is some 1,000 pages long.

Canterbury sub-postmistress conviction referred to appeal court
Canterbury sub-postmistress conviction referred to appeal court

BBC News

time18-07-2025

  • BBC News

Canterbury sub-postmistress conviction referred to appeal court

The first criminal conviction linked to the Post Office Capture system has been referred to the Court of case of Patricia Owen, who was found guilty of five counts of theft in June 1998, has been referred on the grounds that it was an abuse of process, the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) Owen was convicted of theft from the Broad Oak Post Office branch in Sweechgate, near Canterbury, over a shortfall of £6, former sub-postmistress used the Capture system, a precursor to the Horizon software, which has been responsible for almost 1,000 wrongful convictions. She received a sentence of six months' imprisonment, suspended for two case is to be sent to the Court of Appeal posthumously following an application by Ms Owen's family after her death in 2003. 'Landmark moment' The CCRC said in March that it was examining 27 cases to determine whether the Capture accounting software played a part in independent report into Capture was commissioned last year after subpostmasters said they had suffered similar problems to those faced by the Horizon CCRC said it has sent more than 70 cases associated with the Post Office Horizon scandal to the appeal courts. Solicitor Neil Hudgell said the referral was a "hugely positive step"."This is another landmark moment in the continuing campaign to ensure all those who were wrongly prosecuted at the hands of the Post Office have their names cleared," he said."Those who were affected by Capture have suffered the longest of all." In a statement, the Department for Business and Trade said: "We recognise that postmasters have endured immeasurable suffering, and we are working closely with those affected by Capture software to create a new redress scheme."Ensuring postmasters are treated with dignity and respect is our absolute priority, and we will continue to listen to those who have been sharing their stories and work with the CCRC to support them with their review of the Capture system."

First criminal conviction linked to Capture referred to Court of Appeal
First criminal conviction linked to Capture referred to Court of Appeal

The Independent

time18-07-2025

  • The Independent

First criminal conviction linked to Capture referred to Court of Appeal

The first criminal conviction linked to the Post Office Capture system has been referred to the Court of Appeal. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said the case of Patricia Owen, who was found guilty of five counts of theft in June 1998, has been referred on the grounds that it was an abuse of process. Mrs Owen pleaded not guilty to all five charges after the Broad Oak Post Office branch in Sweechgate, Canterbury, was left with a shortfall of £6,000. She received a sentence of six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. The case is being sent to the Court of Appeal posthumously following an application by Mrs Owen's family after she died in 2003. Mrs Owen's legal team stood down an independent IT specialist on the day of her trial despite Adrian Montagu's report concluding that 'bugs and errors existed in sufficiently significant numbers and seriousness' and that any evidence relying on the system 'must be regarded as very unsafe'. The CCRC said in March that it was examining 27 cases to determine whether the Capture accounting software played a part in convictions. The Capture system pre-dated the now infamous Horizon software – which has been responsible for almost 1,000 wrongful convictions. An independent report into Capture was commissioned last year after subpostmasters said they had suffered similar problems to those faced by the Horizon victims. The CCRC said it has sent more than 70 cases associated with the Post Office Horizon scandal to the appeal courts. Solicitor Neil Hudgell, whose firm Hudgell Solicitors represents more than 100 people affected by the Capture system, said the referral is a 'hugely positive step'. He said: 'This is another landmark moment in the continuing campaign to ensure all those who were wrongly prosecuted at the hands of the Post Office have their names cleared. 'Those who were affected by Capture have suffered the longest of all. 'It is important to recognise that we await the Post Office's position on this matter, and whether it will offer any evidence against Mrs Owen's conviction being overturned, and then of course the Court of Appeal's decision itself. 'I was always struck by how Mrs Owen protested her innocence throughout, pointing the finger of blame at the system. 'Why compelling IT evidence was not used in court remains a mystery. 'However, this is a hugely positive step, and we hope this is the first of many cases to be referred for consideration.'

First criminal conviction linked to Capture referred to Court of Appeal
First criminal conviction linked to Capture referred to Court of Appeal

Yahoo

time18-07-2025

  • Yahoo

First criminal conviction linked to Capture referred to Court of Appeal

The first criminal conviction linked to the Post Office Capture system has been referred to the Court of Appeal. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) said the case of Patricia Owen, who was found guilty of five counts of theft in June 1998, has been referred on the grounds that it was an abuse of process. Mrs Owen pleaded not guilty to all five charges after the Broad Oak Post Office branch in Sweechgate, Canterbury, was left with a shortfall of £6,000. She received a sentence of six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years. The case is being sent to the Court of Appeal posthumously following an application by Mrs Owen's family after she died in 2003. Mrs Owen's legal team stood down an independent IT specialist on the day of her trial despite Adrian Montagu's report concluding that 'bugs and errors existed in sufficiently significant numbers and seriousness' and that any evidence relying on the system 'must be regarded as very unsafe'. The CCRC said in March that it was examining 27 cases to determine whether the Capture accounting software played a part in convictions. The Capture system pre-dated the now infamous Horizon software – which has been responsible for almost 1,000 wrongful convictions. An independent report into Capture was commissioned last year after subpostmasters said they had suffered similar problems to those faced by the Horizon victims. The CCRC said it has sent more than 70 cases associated with the Post Office Horizon scandal to the appeal courts. Solicitor Neil Hudgell, whose firm Hudgell Solicitors represents more than 100 people affected by the Capture system, said the referral is a 'hugely positive step'. He said: 'This is another landmark moment in the continuing campaign to ensure all those who were wrongly prosecuted at the hands of the Post Office have their names cleared. 'Those who were affected by Capture have suffered the longest of all. 'It is important to recognise that we await the Post Office's position on this matter, and whether it will offer any evidence against Mrs Owen's conviction being overturned, and then of course the Court of Appeal's decision itself. 'I was always struck by how Mrs Owen protested her innocence throughout, pointing the finger of blame at the system. 'Why compelling IT evidence was not used in court remains a mystery. 'However, this is a hugely positive step, and we hope this is the first of many cases to be referred for consideration.'

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