Colombia’s former president has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for two counts of fraud and bribery.
Alvaro Uribe became the first Colombian leader to be convicted in August in a trial in which a judge handed down the maximum sentence to the 73-year-old.
The case against him was linked to claims that he ordered a lawyer to pay bribes to jailed paramilitaries to discredit claims that he had links to their organizations. Uribe has always maintained his innocence.
The right-wing politician, who was president between 2002 and 2010, is known for his aggressive offensive against the left-wing Farc rebels and is regarded as an influential figure in the South American nation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously criticized Uribe’s sentence, arguing that “his only crime is fighting tirelessly for and defending his homeland”.
Uribe was originally convicted, in part, on the testimony of a former paramilitary commander, Luis Carlos Vélez, who said he had been bribed by the president’s lawyer, Diego Cadena.
But the Superior Court in the capital Bogotá found that the former commander’s testimony lacked credibility.
In its 700-page ruling, the court also found that some of the wiretaps used to open a formal investigation into Uribe were illegally obtained.
People classified as victims in the case can appeal the decision.
Colombia’s current and first leftist president, Gustavo Petro, condemned the verdict.
He wrote on X: “The history of the paramilitary administration in Colombia is covered in this way, that is, the history of politicians who came to power through drug trafficking.”
In Colombia, paramilitary groups emerged in the 1960s to combat Marxist-inspired guerrilla groups that had been fighting in the state since the 1960s.
Many of the armed groups that developed in the conflict profited from the cocaine trade. A deadly battle between them and the state has created an enduring competition for smuggling routes and resources.
Right-wing paramilitary groups have been found responsible for massacres, disappearances and other atrocities.
According to Human Rights Watch, some left-wing guerrilla organizations have also been found to be involved in killings and threats against Colombian civilians.
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