In a landmark judgment that has sent shockwaves through Colombian politics, former President Álvaro Uribe has been found guilty of looting, bribery and witness tampering, making him the first ex-head of state in the nation’s history to be convicted of a criminal offense.
The verdict was delivered on Monday by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia, who presided over the years-long trial that scrutinized Uribe’s alleged efforts to manipulate key testimonies in a case that has haunted his legacy for over a decade.
The charges stemmed from Uribe’s attempts to bribe a former paramilitary fighter to retract testimony that linked the ex-president to the creation and financing of paramilitary death squads during Colombia’s brutal internal conflict in the 1990s.
Appearing virtually from his rural home near Medellín, Uribe, 73, shook his head in defiance as the judge read the ruling, declaring:
“Justice does not kneel before power. It is at the service of the Colombian people.”
The court’s ruling, expected to take nearly 10 hours in full detail, found Uribe guilty of orchestrating a scheme to influence witnesses and distort the judicial process. While sentencing has not yet been determined, the crimes carry a prison term of six to twelve years.
Uribe’s legal team has vowed to appeal.
“This is not the end of this process,” said his lawyer Juan Felipe Amaya outside the Bogotá courtroom. “We respect the decision, but we believe it is wrong and we will prove that on appeal.”
Uribe, a dominant figure in Colombian politics since the early 2000s, served as president from 2002 to 2010 and earned widespread praise for weakening leftist guerrilla groups such as the FARC. Yet his administration was marred by serious human rights abuses, including the infamous “false positives” scandal, in which thousands of civilians were killed by the military and falsely labeled as enemy combatants.
His conviction comes at a time of rising insecurity and political tension in Colombia, as President Gustavo Petro—a former rebel himself—struggles to maintain peace negotiations with various armed groups. The country is also preparing for a pivotal election year.
In response to the ruling, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio controversially defended Uribe, saying the former president’s only crime was "defending his homeland," and decried the judgment as an example of “judicial weaponization”. However, analysts like Sergio Guzmán of Colombia Risk Analysis dismissed those claims, stating:
“This verdict is not about ideology. It’s about whether Uribe attempted to obstruct justice by manipulating witness testimonies. It has nothing to do with whether he was a good or bad president.”
As Colombia digests the implications of this historic ruling, many see it as a critical test of the country’s judicial independence and democratic resilience in holding even its most powerful leaders accountable.
