Colombia Boosts Security for Judge Who Found Ex-President Uribe Guilty of Fraud and Bribery
Judge Sandra Heredia, July 28, 2025. X/ @ElizbethCristi7
July 29, 2025 Hour: 12:10 pm
On Aug. 1, Judge Sandra Heredia is scheduled to issue his sentence, which could result in up to 8 years of house arrest.
On Monday, Colombia’s National Protection Unit (UNP) reinforced the security detail for Judge Sandra Heredia, who issued a ruling declaring former President Alvaro Uribe guilty of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal proceedings.
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The UNP received the protection request on Feb. 11. However, after updating a risk assessment, the UNP and the National Police activated additional measures to safeguard Heredia’s safety.
Previously, Heredia delivered her verdict in a trial against the far-right politician that lasted 475 days. In her statement, she emphasized that “justice does not kneel before power,” calling the decision one of the most significant moments in the history of Colombia’s judicial system.
Although the bribery charge against Uribe was dismissed, the judge ruled that wiretapped phone calls accidentally recorded in 2018 were admissible as evidence. She also found that Uribe’s lawyers failed to prove the conversations were protected by attorney-client privilege.
The text reads, “The streets of Colombia were filled with people who came out to celebrate the sentencing of Alvaro Uribe Velez.”
Uribe, who also faced accusations of witness tampering and attempting to influence the criminal proceedings through his attorney Diego Cadena, denied all charges. He accused President Gustavo Petro’s administration of orchestrating the case against him.
On Monday night, the conviction of Uribe —a politician known for his ties to paramilitary groups— sparked celebrations across Bogota, where crowds danced and cheered in the streets.
The Colombian Judges and Magistrates Corporation also requested additional protection measures for Heredia and called for full respect for her work and the judicial outcome.
On Aug. 1, she is scheduled to issue Uribe’s sentence, which could result in four to eight years of house arrest due to the former president’s age.
telerSUR/ JF
Sources: UNP – teleSUR
