Former Colombian President Uribe Freed from House Arrest

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 20 (Bernama-dpa) -- A Bogotá court on Tuesday lifted the house arrest of former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe while an appeal against a 12-year sentence for witness tampering and procedural fraud is underway, reported German Press Agency (dpa). 

The Superior Tribunal in Bogotá annulled an August 1 order placing Uribe under house arrest at his rural estate until a ruling is made on his appeal.

The Bogotá court ordered the "immediate release" of the former president, according to a document published by local media. 

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The appeals court has until mid-October to issue a ruling. The case risks becoming time-barred under Colombian law if the deadline is not met.

The former president has been found guilty on charges of bribery and witness tampering. A separate charge of simple bribery was dropped.

The case originates from proceedings that Uribe himself initiated more than a decade ago against left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, who had investigated Uribe's alleged links to paramilitary groups.

The situation reversed in 2018 when Uribe was accused of having pressured former paramilitary prisoners to provide exculpatory testimony for him.

The proceedings were repeatedly delayed. Charges were eventually brought against him in 2024.

Uribe, a conservative who served as president from 2002 to 2010, remains a divisive figure in Colombia. 

Supporters view him as a staunch defender of national security during a period of intense conflict with left-wing guerrilla groups. Critics, however, accuse him of human rights violations and of maintaining close ties to paramilitary forces.

Colombia's decades-long internal conflict among government forces, guerrillas and right-wing paramilitaries has left an estimated 220,000 people dead and displaced millions.

--BERNAMA-dpa