Bogota Court Overturns Conviction of Former Colombian President Uribe

BUENOS AIRES, Oct 22 (Bernama-dpa) -- A Bogota court on Tuesday overturned the conviction of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe on charges of witness tampering and procedural fraud, reversing his conviction and 12-year prison sentence, German Press Agency (dpa) reported.

Prosecutors can still lodge an appeal to the country's Supreme Court.

At the initial trial in August, Uribe was sentenced to 12 years under house arrest.

The case originated 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.

The Bogotá court has now ruled that the evidence was insufficient for a conviction.

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