Medellin, Colombia – Álvaro Uribe Vélez, who served as Colombia's president from 2002 to 2010, was sentenced to 12 years in the House of Representatives for being convicted of bribing witnesses and procedural fraud.
Judge Sandra Heredia also fined politicians with a minimum salary of 2,420, totaling 3,447,290,000 Colombian pesos (835,120 USD), and banned him from being in the office of public office for more than eight years.
Uribe, 73, was arrested for age and must comply with “immediately”. However, in order to make it effective, he had to pay a pesos of 5,694,000 ($1,380.36) in an additional judicial insurance policy.
The right-wing leader's verdict came after Monday's court hearing, in which Heredia ruled him to have committed two of the three charges he was charged: criminal bribery lawsuits and procedural fraud. Uribe was acquitted for a simple bribery.
according to For CBS Radio Fanatic Radio, the difference between the two allegations of bribery lies in the nature of the bill. While a criminal bribery lawsuit involves bribery who witnesses a criminal offense, a simple bribery involves providing benefits for the benefit of bribery to convince someone’s actions.
Uribe uses his former lawyer Diego Cardena Brock Metro (Metro Bloc), right-wing paramilitary group.
The court ruled that Uribe encouraged the introduction of false or manipulation of evidence to influence the Supreme Court's ruling, and he was convicted of procedural fraud.
Although the former president remained silent in the days following Monday’s court meeting, on July 31, his legal team condemned incumbent President Gustavo Petro for investigating allegations against the Director of the State Administration before the House Investigation and Alert Committee of the Investigation and Alert Committee.
“President Peterro directly raised allegations of lack of judicial support, in which he attributed serious criminal acts to former President Uribe, such as homicide, drug trafficking, paramilitaryism and corruption. There is no criminal conviction or judicial decision to support such claims,” he said. Famous Law firm Víctor Mosquera Marín Abogados, representing Uribe, in a press release dated August 1.
“This behavior clearly violates the constitutional and international restrictions on freedom of speech” continued.
In the days after Uribe's conviction, Petro publicly criticized the former president.
“Former President Uribe did not fight paramilitary terrorism; he negotiated with it many times,” Petro explain July 29th to X.
Uribe supporters have entered social media to reiterate their support for the former president. Gabriel Jaime Vallejo, who currently commands the Democratic Central Party founded by Uribe, believes the judgment is a judgment in a legal case.
“We are considering attracting international organizations because from the outset, the process proved lack of procedural assurance,” Vallejo statement While talking to CBS Blu.
The parade is also convene The party shared: “We will advance for álvaro Uribe Vélez and march for democracy and freedom in Colombia.”
In addition, letters signed by Iberian countries signed by 28 former heads of state were sent to the United Nations, the U.S. National Organization and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, urging them to monitor the cases and defend them as “innocent.”
“We turn to you so that within your authority you can assume the historical responsibility of upholding the Constitutional Rule of Law in Colombia and prevent consolidation of serious injustice to establish dangerous precedents […] This is the case of former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez,” the letter readCo-signed by former heads of states such as Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and Spain.
On Friday morning, Uribe announced that he would appeal Heredia's decision.
The case will now be transferred to a superior court, which must uphold or overturn the ruling when its regulations are reached on October 8.
Featured Image Source:
Image: Álvaro Uribe in the experiment.
source: CBS (Canal Agency)
