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7h ago

Colombia Court Orders Uribe Released Pending Appeal

Judges now face an October 16 deadline on an appeal in Colombia's first criminal case against a former president.

FILE - Former President Alvaro Uribe leaves court after a hearing in his trial over witness tampering and bribery charges in Bogota, Colombia, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)
Colombian former President Alvaro Uribe gestures as he speaks to the press outside a court complex at the end of his trial in Bogota in February
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Overview

  • Bogotá’s Superior Court ordered the immediate release of Álvaro Uribe, ruling he is not a flight risk as his appeal proceeds.
  • Uribe had been serving a 12-year house-arrest sentence since August 1 at his home in Rionegro near Medellín.
  • He was convicted of witness tampering for pressuring right-wing paramilitaries to deny alleged links to him during the conflict.
  • The trial opened in May 2024, heard testimony from more than 90 witnesses, and included an ex-paramilitary who said Uribe sought to change his story.
  • The court must uphold or overturn the verdict by October 16 or the trial will be annulled, as Uribe continues to denounce the case as politically driven and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio criticizes the prosecution.