Colombia ex-president Alvaro Uribe gets 12 years house arrest for bribery
His trial gripped the country, tarnishing the legacy of a politician credited by many for saving the country from becoming a failed state
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.
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.