Colombia: Former President Alvaro Uribe to Face Criminal Trial

On Tuesday, Laura Barrera, the judge in charge of the 41st Criminal Court of Bogota, denied the closure of the case against former President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010) for bribery of witnesses.

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After listening to the arguments of his defense lawyers and the Prosecutor's Office, she decided there is evidence that Uribe participated in bribery and witness tampering.

The Prosecutor's Office will appeal the judge's decision because it considers that there is insufficient evidence to prove that the former president had ordered the search for false witnesses against the left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda.

In August 2022, the Prosecutor's Office also requested the closure of the case, arguing that the investigative acts suggested by the 28th Criminal Judge of Bogota "were carried out."

The tweet reads, "The majority of Colombians demand jail for the slaughterer."

The case against the far-right politician began in 2012 when the Supreme Justice Court decided to open an investigation against Uribe. The judges suspected that the former president had bribed witnesses to build accusations against Cepeda.

In mid-2018, the Court called Uribe to a hearing for procedural fraud since investigations showed that he tried to manipulate former paramilitaries into testifying against Cepeda. This attempted manipulation happened through lawyer Diego Cadena.

On August 4, 2020, the Supreme Court ordered Uribe's house arrest. A few days later, however, Uribe resigned his Senate seat and lost his parliamentary immunity.

As a result of this, the Supreme Court lost its jurisdiction in the case, which the Prosecutor's Office took over. On October 10, 2020, a judge ordered Uribe's release.