Overview

• Judge Sandra Heredia sentenced former president Álvaro Uribe to 12 years of house arrest, imposed a $578,000 fine and banned him from public office for eight years.
• The conviction traces back to a 2012 complaint by Senator Iván Cepeda and hinges on findings that Uribe orchestrated bribes to ex-paramilitary witnesses and committed procedural fraud.
• Uribe becomes the first former Colombian president ever criminally convicted in a domestic court.
• His defense filed an immediate appeal with the Tribunal Superior de Bogotá, which under Colombian law must issue a ruling by mid-October or face case prescription.
• The verdict has deepened political divisions as Uribe’s allies decry persecution and international bodies urge safeguards for judicial independence.