Colombia’s Ex-President Álvaro Uribe Sentenced to 12 Years House Arrest for Witness Tampering and Fraud
Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest after being found guilty of witness tampering and procedural fraud, marking the first time in Colombia’s history that a former head of state has been criminally convicted and sentenced.
The ruling, issued by a Colombian judge on Friday, concludes a years-long judicial saga that has shaped political discourse in the country and stirred deep partisan divides.
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Despite longstanding accusations of ties to right-wing paramilitary groups during his tenure, he remained a dominant figure in Colombian conservative politics and continued to influence party leadership and national strategy long after leaving office.
The charges stem from a case in which Uribe was found to have sought to manipulate testimony from right-wing paramilitaries in order to discredit accusations linking him to armed groups.
The verdict follows a trial that began in May 2024 and featured testimony from over 90 witnesses, including a former paramilitary fighter who alleged direct contact from Uribe encouraging him to alter his statements.
The investigation, which began in 2018, was met with institutional resistance over several years, with multiple attorneys general attempting to dismiss it.
It resumed with full force under Attorney General Luz Camargo, appointed by President Gustavo Petro, who has frequently clashed with Uribe politically.
The former president’s conviction has sparked mixed reactions across Colombia. While some continue to support him passionately, others have pointed to the ruling as a long overdue step toward accountability in the country’s elite political class.
Uribe is also facing scrutiny in additional legal cases. He has appeared in connection with a 1997 paramilitary massacre during his time as governor of Antioquia, and is the subject of a complaint in Argentina under universal jurisdiction principles.
That filing is linked to allegations surrounding thousands of extrajudicial executions carried out by Colombian military forces during his presidency, often referred to as the “false positives” scandal.
The sentencing underscores a turning point in Colombian judicial history, confronting a figure who once symbolized the establishment’s hardline security agenda and maintained deep connections with international allies, including the United States.
While the former president is expected to appeal the decision, the ruling stands as a major milestone in the pursuit of legal accountability for political leaders in Latin America.