BOGOTA – A Colombian court on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) found Alvaro Uribe guilty of witness tampering, making him the South American country’s first ex-president to be convicted of a crime.
The 73-year-old — who led Colombia from 2002 to 2010 — was found guilty of asking right-wing paramilitaries to lie about their alleged links to him.
As the judge started reading out her verdict Monday, Uribe — who attended the trial virtually — sat shaking his head.
The still-powerful ex-president is expected to hear his sentence on Friday. He risks 12 years in prison.
The judgment brought rapid condemnation from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who decried “the weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges.”
A law-and-order hardliner, Uribe was a close ally of the United States and retains close ties to the American right. AFP
At home his popularity has waned as alleged rights abuses during his tenure have come to light.
Even before the ruling and Rubio’s high-profile attack, a Colombian lawyers’ guild asked for more protection for Judge Sandra Heredia, who is presiding over this case.
Colombia’s leftist President Gustavo Petro shot back at Rubio’s criticism and insisted the judiciary was independent.
Allegations “to the contrary were an insult that would not be tolerated”, he said. AFP
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