Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has been formally charged with witness tampering and bribery for his attempts to discredit a political opponent who was investigating his family's ties to right-wing paramilitary groups.
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was charged on Friday with witness tampering and bribery in a long-running investigation. Uribe has been accused of trying to discredit a political opponent who was investigating his family's ties to right-wing paramilitary groups.
The case dates back to 2012, when Uribe filed a complaint with the Supreme Court accusing leftist lawmaker Iván Cepeda of slander. In 2018, the high court closed the investigation against Cepeda and announced it was opening a new probe into Uribe for fraud and manipulating testimony.
Prosecutors allege that Uribe attempted to bribe two former paramilitary fighters to change their testimony against him. Wiretapped phone conversations reportedly captured Uribe discussing efforts to influence the witnesses.
Uribe has denied wrongdoing and has accused Colombia's chief prosecutor's office of "political vengeance." He has argued that his conversations were intercepted illegally.
The long-running legal battle is taking place against a polarized political backdrop in Colombia. Uribe remains a popular figure, despite allegations of ties to drug cartels and paramilitaries.
In 2022, Gustavo Petro, a former leftist rebel, was elected president. Petro has been a vocal critic of Uribe and has promised to pursue corruption cases against former officials.
Prosecutors have twice tried to close the witness-tampering case, but judges have rejected those requests. After Petro appointed a new attorney general, prosecutors decided to take the case to trial.
The hearing on Friday was held through video conference, and Uribe had a limited role. The chief prosecutor accused Uribe of abusing his position to influence witnesses.
Uribe was briefly held under pre-trial house arrest in 2020 but was released after resigning from his senate seat. The case was then transferred from the high court to prosecutors.
If convicted, Uribe faces up to 12 years in prison. The trial is expected to be closely watched in Colombia and beyond, as it involves a prominent political figure and allegations of corruption and witness tampering.
