A court in Colombia found former President Alvaro Uribe guilty of witness tampering and evidence falsification on Tuesday.
Uribe became the first head of state in the country’s modern history to be convicted by a court. In Colombia, former presidents enjoy immunity, but this only applies to actions committed during their term in office.
The hearings lasted almost eight hours. The court found the charges of witness tampering and fraud during the criminal proceedings to be proven. The sentence will be announced later. Under Colombian law, Uribe faces between six and 12 years in prison.
“Mr Alvaro Uribe Velez knew that his actions were illegal,” Judge Sandra Heredia said.
Uribe held office from 2002 to 2010. Both before and during his presidency, he was suspected of links to paramilitary groups.
Many of these groups were later designated as terrorist organisations due to allegations of human rights violations.
In 2012, Senator Iván Zapata publicly accused Uribe of involvement in the creation of such groups. In response, Uribe filed a lawsuit accusing Zapata of fabricating evidence. However, after reviewing the case, the Colombian Supreme Court concluded that the opposite was true: Uribe may have bribed prisoners to frame Sepeda.
The case against the former Colombian president was opened in 2018. Uribe has maintained his innocence since the investigation began.
