Colombian Court Convicts Former President in Witness Tampering Case
A court in Colombia has ruled that the country’s former president, Álvaro Uribe, is guilty of influencing witnesses.
Uribe, 73, who led the country from 2002 to 2010, was found guilty on Monday of attempting to sway testimonies in a previous investigation. He now faces a possible 12-year prison term in a case that has drawn significant political attention.
The legal proceedings trace back to 2012, when Uribe brought accusations before the supreme court against leftist senator Iván Cepeda, claiming Cepeda had orchestrated a scheme to falsely connect him to right-wing paramilitary factions linked to Colombia’s prolonged internal conflict.
The court dismissed the case against Cepeda and instead examined his allegations against Uribe. As the judge delivered the verdict, Uribe—who participated remotely—shook his head in disagreement. He is the first former Colombian president to be convicted of a crime.
Paramilitary operations in Colombia began in the 1980s as a counterforce to Marxist guerrilla movements that had initially formed decades earlier, citing opposition to economic inequality and political exclusion, particularly in rural regions.
Over time, several armed factions turned to drug trafficking as a primary financial source, fueling violent disputes over smuggling networks and territorial control that persist today.
Uribe belonged to the conservative wing of politics—as did all Colombian presidents before the incumbent, Gustavo Petro, who defeated Uribe’s party, the Democratic Centre, in the 2022 elections.
During his presidency, Uribe implemented an aggressive strategy against drug cartels and the Farc guerrilla group, which later agreed to a peace agreement under his successor, Juan Manuel Santos, in 2016.
After Cepeda alleged that Uribe had connections to paramilitary forces accused of human rights abuses, prosecutors argued that Uribe reached out to imprisoned former fighters to alter their testimonies. Uribe denies these claims, stating he only sought to encourage truthful statements.
Over 90 witnesses were called during the trial, which commenced in May 2024. Prosecutors presented evidence, including testimony from at least one former paramilitary member who stated Uribe had contacted him to revise his account.
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