Colombian appeals court strikes down ex-President Uribe’s conviction

A tribunal successful Colombia has overturned ex-President Alvaro Uribe’s convictions for fraud and bribery, mounting the signifier for further appeals successful the intimately watched case.

On Tuesday, 2 magistrates connected a sheet of 3 voted to flip the verdict against the 73-year-old Uribe, arguing that determination were “structural deficiencies” successful the erstwhile ruling, including insufficient evidence.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Colombia ex-President Alvaro Uribe recovered blameworthy successful landmark bribery trial
• list 2 of 3Colombian ex-President Alvaro Uribe sentenced to 12 years of location arrest
• list 3 of 3Colombian tribunal ruling sentences 12 ex-military officers

Uribe’s condemnation had marked the archetypal clip successful Colombia’s past that a erstwhile president was convicted of a transgression and sentenced.

A right-wing person who governed arsenic president from 2002 to 2010, Uribe was recovered blameworthy successful July of asking paramilitary members to prevarication astir alleged links to him.

Uribe has agelong maintained his innocence. But Tuesday’s determination has prompted an outpouring of absorption from those who judge it reflects a lax cognition towards right-wing abuses.

“This is however the past of paramilitary governance successful Colombia is covered up,” Gustavo Petro, the country’s existent president, wrote connected societal media. “That is, the past of the politicians who came to powerfulness allied with cause trafficking and who unleashed the genocide successful Colombia.”

Uribe had been sentenced successful August to 12 years of location arrest, a good of $578,000 and a prohibition from serving successful nationalist bureau for 100 months and 20 days — oregon conscionable much than 8 years.

Senator Ivan Cepeda, 1 of the cardinal figures successful the Uribe case, has already announced helium plans to situation the magistrates’ decision.

“We volition record an entreaty for cassation earlier the Supreme Court of Justice,” Cepeda wrote connected societal media.

Suspected ties to paramilitaries

Tuesday’s ruling was the latest section successful a years-long lawsuit that has exacerbated governmental divides successful Colombia.

Uribe is simply a arguable person successful the South American country, which has struggled with much than six decades of interior struggle betwixt authorities forces, left-wing rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and transgression networks.

During his clip successful office, Uribe unleashed an iron-fisted subject violative against the country’s left-wing rebel groups.

Critics person accused his authorities of turning a unsighted oculus to massacres that unfolded successful the process — and, successful immoderate cases, encouraging soldiers to execution civilians to artificially boost the fig of rebels killed.

Uribe’s ties to right-wing paramilitaries earlier his clip arsenic president person besides travel nether scrutiny.

In 2012, Senator Cepeda had launched a probe into the ex-president’s alleged connections with paramilitaries similar the Bloque Metro, peculiarly during his ascent to governmental powerfulness successful the 1990s.

Uribe responded with a libel ailment against Cepeda, accusing the left-wing legislator of manipulating paramilitary members to beryllium witnesses.

But erstwhile the lawsuit reached the Supreme Court successful 2018, its judges came to a astonishment decision. It tossed the lawsuit against Cepeda and alternatively called for an probe into Uribe connected the aforesaid charge, witnesser tampering.

Uribe admitted helium had sent his lawyers to sojourn paramilitary members successful prison, but helium denied conspiring to coax the 3 witnesses into changing their testimony, arsenic had been alleged.

In July, Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia ruled determination was capable grounds to find that Uribe had conspired with a lawyer to manipulate the witnesses. Her ruling was overturned successful Tuesday’s decision.

Influence connected Colombia’s election

What happens adjacent successful the lawsuit could measurement heavy connected Colombia’s upcoming statesmanlike election, slated to unfold successful May 2026. Uribe remains a fashionable fig successful Colombian politics.

His lawsuit has besides caught the attraction of United States President Donald Trump, whose medication has been supportive of right-wing leaders facing prosecution successful Latin America.

Trump has repeatedly accused the judicial system, some successful the US and successful Latin America, of bias against blimpish voices.

“Uribe’s lone transgression has been to tirelessly combat and support his homeland. The weaponisation of Colombia’s judicial subdivision by extremist judges has present acceptable a worrisome precedent,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted connected X earlier this year, aft Uribe was recovered guilty.

Petro, the country’s archetypal left-wing president, is term-limited and volition not beryllium capable to tally successful the 2026 race.

In a societal media post, Petro speculated that Tuesday’s determination would make pathways for Trump to summation his power successful Colombia, by allying with Uribe’s supporters.

Petro has been feuding with the Trump medication implicit tariffs and differences implicit policies to combat illicit drugs.

“Now Trump, allied with these politicians and with Uribe, volition question sanctions against the president who denounced successful his beingness the alliances betwixt Colombian governmental powerfulness and paramilitary cause trafficking successful Colombia, and helium does truthful with the assistance of those who helped paramilitarism successful the country,” Petro posted connected X.

Uribe’s party, Democratic Center, has already said that Uribe volition tally for legislator if his ineligible concern allows it.

Al Jazeera analogous Alessandro Rampietti besides noted that Senator Cepeda has signalled his candidacy for president successful the upcoming race.

“There’s nary uncertainty that this volition alteration oregon volition person large repercussions successful the upcoming predetermination run successful the country, but also, this is not the past word,” Rampietti explained from Bogota.

“We tin expect the victims of this lawsuit to entreaty to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court volition person astir apt 5 years to marque a last decision.”