Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was found responsible for the crime of bribery in a criminal proceeding. One of three charges he faced at trial, Judge Sandra Heredia of the Bogotá Criminal Circuit announced Monday.
“The first bribery in a criminal proceeding regarding the materiality of the punishable conduct has been proven,” the judge said as she evaluated contacts between Uribe’s attorney, Diego Cadena, and former paramilitary member Juan Guillermo Monsalve, who is imprisoned in a Bogotá jail, to prevent him from testifying about the former president’s alleged ties to these illegal armed groups.
Six Hours of Hearing
The judge began reading the verdict today at 8:30 a.m. during a hearing attended by left-wing Senator Iván Cepeda, who is recognized as a victim in this case, and his attorneys. Uribe participated virtually from his ranch in Rionegro, near Medellín.
In the first part of the hearing, which was broadcast live, Heredia upheld two key pieces of evidence from the prosecution: wiretaps of Uribe’s phone and recordings made with a spy watch. These were elements the former president’s defense had sought to exclude, arguing they were obtained illegally.
The judge also defended the credibility of former paramilitary member Juan Guillermo Monsalve, a crucial witness in this case, and affirmed the procedural guarantees and autonomy of her office.
Heredia was handling the most high-profile trial the country has faced, and a ruling that, for the first time, convicts a former Colombian president in the first instance.
The case, which dates back to 2012, leaves Uribe facing a possible prison sentence of between six and twelve years for the charges against him.
Judges Request Protection for the Case’s Judge
The Corporation of Judges and Magistrates of Colombia (Corjusticia) expressed its “solidarity and support” for Judge Sandra Heredia on Monday and called on authorities to continue adopting the necessary mechanisms for her protection.
“On behalf of judicial officials from different judicial districts across the country, (Corjusticia) expresses its solidarity and support for Dr. Sandra Liliana Heredia Aranda, Judge 44 of the Criminal Circuit with Knowledge Function in Bogotá, who, as is publicly known, was assigned the responsibility of judging Mr. Álvaro Uribe Vélez, former president of the Republic,” the guild’s board of directors stated in a press release.
Judges and magistrates emphasized the “importance of judicial independence and autonomy” and urged authorities, media outlets, parties involved in the judicial process, and the national and international community “to respect the functional exercise” of Heredia, “as well as the decision she issues in this matter.”
Corjusticia also requested that the government and the Superior Council of the Judiciary “continue adopting the necessary mechanisms to guarantee all judges (…) the conditions required to fulfill their duties, including the protective measures needed for each case.”
Image: T51
