Colombia’s former president Álvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years house detention after a court found him guilty of witness tampering and procedural fraud. It is the first time that a former or sitting president has been convicted of a crime in Colombia.
On 1 August, Judge Sandra Heredia issued the sentence, following her guilty ruling on 28 July. However, with an appeal due by October, it remains unclear whether Uribe will serve the sentence. He continues to claim he was unaware of attempts by his lawyer, Diego Cadena, to induce jailed paramilitaries to lie in order to protect Uribe.
The case has polarised voters in Colombia, where the political right reveres Uribe as the hardline president who prevented the FARC guerrillas from taking power. In contrast, conflict victims have long demanded justice for the extreme levels of state and paramilitary violence committed during Uribe’s 2002-10 government. The case has further fuelled allegations around Uribe’s close links to paramilitary groups going back to the 1980s and 1990s when he served as mayor of Medellin and subsequently as governor of Antioquia department.
While many in Colombia have celebrated the verdict as an important step in the quest for truth and justice for victims of the armed conflict, far-right politicians in the US, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have blasted the Colombian judicial system for its handling of their ally Uribe. The case has highlighted the close relations between the respective far-rights in the US and Colombia.