Colombia Supreme Court orders ex-president Uribe placed under house arrest News
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Colombia Supreme Court orders ex-president Uribe placed under house arrest

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has been placed under house arrest by order of the Supreme Court of Colombia while he is being tried for procedural fraud and witness tampering.

Uribe served as President of Colombia from 2002-2010 before being elected senator. During that time, Uribe allegedly supported the formation of paramilitary death squads. In 2012, Uribe had filed a complaint against Senator Iván Cepeda for falsely linking him to paramilitary groups. The court closed the inquiry against Cepeda in 2018, and the criminal chamber instead opened formal proceedings against Uribe.

The court said Tuesday that “[t]he order was adopted based on a rigorous legal study on the procedural reality, which indicates possible risks of obstruction of justice, regarding the future collection of evidence of allegedly criminal acts involving both Senator Álvaro Uribe and representative Álvaro Hernán Prada.” The Supreme Court is now investigating whether Uribe should be sent to jail for witness tampering and procedural fraud. The Senator may have to spend seven to eight years in jail if found guilty.

Uribe responded to the court order by tweeting, “The loss of my liberty causes me profound sadness for my wife, for my family, and for Colombians who still believe that I have done something good for the country.” Senator Iván Cepeda held an online press conference after the court’s ruling. He said, “There are no people above justice. Today something has changed in Colombia.”

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