Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and fraud charges.
At 73 years old, Uribe is the first former president in Colombia to be convicted of a crime, and has been banned from public office with a fine of $578,000 (£435,000).
Despite claiming his innocence, Uribe announced his intention to appeal against the conviction, stating that the case aimed to “destroy a voice for the democratic opposition”.
As the president from 2002-2010, Uribe continues to be popular in Colombia, though he has been accused of collaborating with right-wing paramilitaries against left-wing rebel groups, a claim he denies.
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Uribe was convicted on Monday, in a witness-tampering case that has spanned around 13 years.
Two jailed former paramilitaries testified that Uribe’s ex-lawer, Diego Cadena, had offered them financial incentives to provide favorable testimony for Uribe.
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p class=”sc-9a00e533-0 hxuGS”>Both Cadena and several other ex-paramilitar
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1ejz80qzxjo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss
