Colombia: Former President Uribe Sentenced to 12 Years of House Arrest

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced yesterday, Friday, to 12 years of house arrest for influencing witnesses and fraud during a judicial investigation. He became the first former head of state to be convicted and deprived of his liberty in Colombia, according to a French Agency source.

The 73-year-old conservative former leader, who governed the country from 2002 to 2010, was also banned from holding any public office for more than eight years, according to a leaked court document.

Álvaro Uribe was found guilty of attempting to pressure a witness to avoid being linked to right-wing paramilitary organizations involved in the bloody war against the rebels, in the first trial against a former president of Colombia.

Source: APE-MPE