Bogota, Colombia (AP) – Former Alvaro Uribe, President of Colombia He was convicted Monday of eyewitness tampering and bribery in a historic trial that grabbed the South American nation and threatened to injure the legacy of a conservative Strongman.
The ruling was announced by a judge in the country’s capital, Bogota, following a nearly six-month trial that presented evidence that it influenced witnesses ordering law and order leaders that they had links to paramilitary groups established by ranchers in the 1990s.
Judge Sandra Heredia said there was enough evidence to determine that Uribe had conspired with her lawyer in a long ruling that lasted more than 10 hours, and changed the testimony provided to left-wing senator Ivan Sepeda.
The case dates back to 2012, when Uribe filed an honorable lib loss lawsuit against Cepeda in the Supreme Court. But to his surprise, the High Court dismissed the charges against Cepeda and began an investigation into Uribe in 2018.
Uribe faces up to 12 years in prison for the crime he was charged with. The verdict will take place at a separate hearing. The former president is expected to appeal the ruling in the High Court.
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