Colombian Ex-president Álvaro Uribe Is Sentenced To 12 Years House Arrest For Bribery

BOGOTA, Colombia — Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced Friday to 12 years of location apprehension for witnesser tampering and bribery successful a historical lawsuit that gripped nan South American nation and tarnished nan blimpish strongman’s legacy.

The sentence, which Uribe said will beryllium appealed, followed a astir six-month proceedings successful which prosecutors presented grounds that he attempted to power witnesses who accused nan law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group successful nan 1990s.

“Politics prevailed complete nan rule successful sentencing,” Uribe said aft Friday’s hearing.

Uribe, 73, has denied immoderate wrongdoing. He faced up to 12 years successful situation aft being convicted Monday.

His lawyer had asked nan tribunal to let Uribe to stay free while he appeals nan verdict. Judge Sandra Heredia connected Friday said she did not assistance nan defense’s petition because it would beryllium “easy” for nan erstwhile president to time off nan state to “evade nan imposed sanction.”

Heredia besides banned Uribe from holding nationalist agency for 8 years and fined him astir $776,000.

Ahead of Friday’s sentencing, Uribe posted connected X that he was preparing arguments to support his appeal. He added that 1 must “think overmuch much astir nan solution than nan problem” during individual crises.

The appeals tribunal will person until early October to rumor a ruling, which either statement could past situation earlier Colombia’s Supreme Court.

The erstwhile president governed from 2002 to 2010 pinch beardown support from nan United States. He is simply a polarizing fig successful Colombia, wherever galore in installments him for redeeming nan state from becoming a grounded state, while others subordinate him pinch quality authorities violations and nan emergence of paramilitary groups successful nan 1990s.

Heredia connected Monday said she had seen capable grounds to find that Uribe conspired pinch a lawyer to coax 3 erstwhile paramilitary group members, who were successful prison, into changing grounds they had provided to Ivan Cepeda, a leftist legislator who had launched an investigation into Uribe’s alleged ties to a paramilitary group.

Uribe successful 2012 revenge a libel suit against Cepeda successful nan Supreme Court. But successful a twist, nan precocious tribunal successful 2018 dismissed nan accusations against Cepeda and began investigating Uribe.

Martha Peñuela Rosales, a protagonist of Uribe’s statement successful nan capital, Bogota, said she wept and prayed aft proceeding of nan sentence. “It’s an cruel sentence. He deserves to beryllium free,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sergio Andrés Parra, who protested against Uribe extracurricular nan courthouse, said nan 12-year condemnation “is enough” and, moreover if nan erstwhile president appeals, “history has already condemned him.”

During Uribe’s presidency, Colombia’s subject attained immoderate of its biggest battlefield victories against Latin America’s oldest leftist insurgency, pushing nan Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia into distant pockets and forcing nan group’s activity into peace talks that led to nan disarmament of much than 13,000 fighters successful 2016.