In a landmark trial that captivated the South American nation and threatened to damage the conservative strongman’s legacy, former Colombian President Ivaro Uribe was found guilty on Monday of witness tampering and bribery.
The decision came after a trial that lasted almost six months, during which the prosecution provided evidence that Uribe tried to sway witnesses who said the law-and-order leader had ties to a paramilitary organization that ranchers had established in the 1990s.
Since the judge has not yet ordered Uribe’s arrest, the 73-year-old was not present in court in the capital, Bogota, for the verdict. From his house outside of Medellin, he complied with the decision, although he did not discuss it right away.
FROM THE ARCHIVES | The Former President of Colombia Is Arrested at Home and Is Now Officially an Inmate
Although Uribe could receive a sentence of up to 12 years in jail, it will be decided at a another hearing. It is anticipated that he will appeal the decision.
In Colombia, the former president, who presided over the country from 2002 to 2010 with significant backing from the US, is a divisive figure. While some believe he prevented the country from collapsing, others link him to abuses of human rights and the emergence of paramilitary organizations in the 1990s.
Outside the courthouse, Uribe’s supporters and opponents briefly battled as the ruling was read.
Judge Sandra Heredia said in a more than 10-hour ruling that there was sufficient evidence to conclude that Uribe conspired with a lawyer to persuade three imprisoned former paramilitary group members to alter their testimony given to Ivan Cepeda, a left-wing senator who had opened an investigation into Uribe’s alleged paramilitary affiliations.
The dispute began in 2012 when Uribe sued Cepeda in the Supreme Court for libel. However, in 2018, the top court started looking into Uribe after dismissing the allegations against Cepeda.
The Colombian military achieved some of its greatest battlefield triumphs against the oldest leftist insurgency in Latin America during Uribe’s presidency. This forced the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia into isolated areas and forced the group’s leadership to engage in peace negotiations that resulted in the disarmament of over 13,000 fighters in 2016.
Uribe, who is still incredibly popular in Colombia and is one of the most ardent opponents of the current president, former Marxist rebel Gustavo Petro, is well-known for his unwavering work ethic and short fuse.
As it became clear that Judge Heredia would convict the former president of bribery, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio responded to the decision.
Uribe’s only transgression has been his unwavering defense and struggle for his country. Rubio posted on X on Monday. A dangerous precedent has now been established by extremist justices who have weaponized Colombia’s legal system.
In a post on X, Colombian President Gustavo Petro justified the decision, saying that a robust legal system will help the country overcome its violent past. Rubio was interfering with Colombia’s sovereignty, he claimed in a subsequent message.
“The judges of Colombia must be respected by the world,” Petro stated.
According to Heredia, her decision should be seen as an act of justice rather than a win for any individual.
Uribe is also accused of state crimes by critics. A truth commission established in 2017 found that during the Uribe administration, the Colombian military murdered around 6,400 civilians who were mistakenly classified as rebel members by soldiers vying for promotions.
In order to convince imprisoned former paramilitary henchmen to withdraw testimony they had given to Senator Cepeda, prosecutors accused Uribe of sending attorneys to speak with them.
Uribe acknowledged interviewing the men as part of his trial preparation and to confirm testimony that was also being used in a murder trial against his brother, Santiago Uribe, who was also charged with having ties to the armed paramilitaries, but he denied attempting to sway witnesses during the trial.
Following the decision, Cepeda told reporters he will keep fighting for justice and the truth for Colombia’s war victims. He asserted that no one could disobey and corrupt the rule of law.
