Colombia's ex-president Alvaro Uribe sentenced to 12 years of house arrest

Alsharq Tribune-AFP 

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest in the first instance after being found guilty of witness tampering and procedural fraud, becoming the first former head of state in the country's history to be criminally convicted.

Judge Sandra Heredia delivered the sentence on Friday in Bogota, ordering Uribe to serve his term at his residence in Rionegro, Antioquia department. He is also barred from holding public office for more than eight years and was fined approximately 3.4 billion Colombian pesos (around 825,000 U.S. dollars).

The conviction stems from a case dating back to 2012, when Uribe accused Senator Ivan Cepeda of manipulating testimony from former paramilitaries. Colombia's Supreme Court of Justice dismissed the allegations and instead opened an investigation into Uribe in 2018.

Uribe, who led Colombia from 2002 to 2010, said he is preparing an appeal. The court's ruling follows over a decade of investigations and a months-long public trial that began in February.