Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced on Friday, August 1, to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a historic case that has gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman’s legacy.
The sentence, which Uribe said will be appealed, followed a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s.
Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing and characterized the case as "political persecution." He faced up to 12 years in prison after being convicted on Monday. His attorney had asked the court to allow Uribe to remain free while he appeals the verdict. Judge Sandra Heredia on Friday also banned Uribe from holding public office for eight years.
Ahead of Friday’s sentencing hearing, Uribe posted on X that he was preparing arguments to support his appeal. He added that one must "think much more about the solution than the problem" during personal crises.
The former president governed from 2002 to 2010 with strong support from the United States. He is a polarizing figure in Colombia, where many credit him for saving the country from becoming a failed state, while others associate him with human rights violations and the rise of paramilitary groups in the 1990s.