Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest following a conviction on witness tampering and fraud charges.
The 73-year-old becomes the first former president in the nation’s history to be convicted of a crime. In addition to the sentence, he is barred from holding public office and has been fined $578,000 (£435,000).
Uribe, who maintains his innocence, stated to a judge in Bogotá that he intends to appeal the conviction, asserting that the case is intended to “destroy a voice for the democratic opposition.”
President from 2002 to 2010, Uribe remains a prominent figure in Colombia. Despite his continued popularity, he has faced accusations of collaborating with right-wing paramilitary groups to suppress leftist rebel factions, allegations he denies.
The former president’s conviction on two counts stems from a witness-tampering case that has spanned approximately 13 years.
Testimony from two incarcerated former paramilitaries alleges that Uribe’s former lawyer, Diego Cadena, offered them financial incentives to provide favorable testimony for Uribe.
Cadena, who also faces charges related to the case, has denied the accusations. He and several other former paramilitaries testified in Uribe’s defense.
Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized Uribe’s conviction, accusing the Colombian judiciary of being weaponized against him.
Rubio stated on social media platform X that the former president’s “only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland.”
Paramilitary groups emerged in Colombia during the 1980s, initially claiming to address poverty and marginalization. They engaged in conflict with Marxist-inspired guerrilla groups that had been fighting the state for two decades prior.
Many of the armed groups involved in the conflict became involved in the cocaine trade, leading to deadly clashes between them and the state, fostering lasting rivalries over trafficking routes and resources.
Uribe was lauded by Washington for his firm stance against the left-wing FARC rebels. However, he remained a polarizing figure, with critics arguing that he did little to address inequality and poverty within the country.
The FARC signed a peace agreement with Uribe’s successor in 2016, though violence perpetrated by disarmed groups continues to persist in Colombia.