(Bogotá) Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe denounced on Wednesday “political vengeance” and accusations “without evidence” after the announcement of his next trial in Colombia for witness tampering.
“This trial responds to political persecution, personal animosities, political revenge and without proof […] », Estimated the former right-wing president (2002-2010) in a statement broadcast live on his social networks.
Mr. Uribe, tutelary figure of the conservative camp and one of the most influential politicians in the country, will be the subject of a criminal trial, the prosecution announced on Tuesday without giving a date.
This will be the first time in Colombian history that a former head of state has been brought before the courts.
Mr. Uribe, 71, faces up to eight years in prison for “witness tampering and procedural fraud,” according to the indictment.
Accused on several fronts of links with drug trafficking and paramilitaries, he suffered a boomerang effect from the Colombian judicial system.
In 2012, he filed a complaint against a left-wing senator, Ivan Cepeda, for an alleged plot against him, based on false testimony, attempting to implicate him in the criminal activities of paramilitary groups.
The Supreme Court had refrained from prosecuting Mr. Cepeda and instead began investigating Mr. Uribe. The judges concluded that he had tried to manipulate witnesses to discredit his opponent and in August 2020 ordered him under house arrest.
Mr. Uribe then resigned from the Senate and his case was transferred to an ordinary court, which lifted this summons order.
According to his defense, the former senator only contacted witnesses to tell the truth as part of investigations into his possible involvement with far-right paramilitary groups, a link he has always denied . On Wednesday, he again proclaimed his innocence.
According to his lawyer, the case could be time-barred on October 9, 2025 if a verdict is not rendered before that date.
Left-wing President Gustavo Petro (elected in the summer of 2022), Mr. Uribe’s historic opponent, commented in a message on X that his “government does not and will not persecute the opposition and will refrain from any intervention in the legal process.
In power, Mr. Uribe had implemented a policy of firmness towards far-left guerrillas operating in the country, a policy applauded by his supporters, but sharply criticized by the left-wing opposition and human rights defenders. the person.