Colombian Ex President Uribe to Appear in Witness Bribery Case

On Friday, the Superior Court of Bogota will hold a hearing to bring former President Alvaro Uribe (2002-2010) to trial for procedural fraud and witness bribery.

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The far-right politician is expected to attend to learn whether the Court decides to uphold the judgment of the 41st Criminal Court, which chose not to conclude the proceedings against him. Once the verdict against Uribe becomes official, the General Prosecutor's Office will have to immediately submit the indictment to initiate the trial.

The decision of the Superior Court of Bogota will be made after five months of examination, with Judge Carlos Guzman serving as the rapporteur.

The judges also summoned the victims of the process, including Senator Ivan Cepeda, former Attorney General Eduardo Montealegre, and former Deputy Attorney General Jorge Perdomo.

The request for the judicial process against Uribe to conclude was rejected by a first-instance judge. Therefore, the Superior Court of Bogota had to intervene in the process to reach a final decision on this case. This marks the first time that a criminal case against a former president has reached higher authorities in Colombia.

In 2012, lawmakers Ivan Cepeda and Piedad Cordoba accused Uribe of obtaining false testimonies against them through bribes to prisoners.

In 2018, the Supreme Court summoned Uribe for questioning on charges of procedural fraud and bribery because the investigations indicated that the former president, through individuals like lawyer Diego Cadena, attempted to manipulate former paramilitaries into testifying against Cepeda.

In 2020, the judges ordered Uribe's house arrest in the same case, making him the first Colombian ex-president to face such a detention order.