BOGOTA: A Colombian judge on Monday convicted former President Alvaro Uribe of abuse of process and bribery of a public official, marking the first time an ex-president in the country has been found guilty at trial.
Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia delivered the verdict after a lengthy legal battle spanning 13 years.
Uribe, 73, was acquitted of a separate bribery charge. The ruling remains subject to appeal.
The case has been highly politicized, with Uribe and his supporters denouncing it as persecution while critics view it as long-overdue accountability for his alleged ties to right-wing paramilitaries.
“Justice does not kneel before power,“ Heredia told the court before reading her 1,000-page decision over nine hours.
“It is at the service of the Colombian people.” She added, “We want to say to Colombia that justice has arrived.”
Each charge carries a potential prison sentence of 6 to 12 years. Heredia will determine Uribe’s sentence in a later hearing.
The former president has consistently denied wrongdoing, framing the case as a political attack. – Reuters
