Judge Sandra Heredia of the Criminal Court No. 44 Bogota announced the verdict related to former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on August 1, 4 days after she found the former President guilty. The same judge found Uribe innocent in another case of bribes against prosecutors.
Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe plead not guilty. His defense attorney had previously said he would appeal.
Uribe, 73, ruled Colombia from 2002 to 2010, was the country's first former president to be sentenced.
The case began in 2012, when Uribe, an opposition member of the Centro Democratictico, accused Sen. Ivan Cepeda, a member of the ruling Historic Pact, of trying to assign him to be involved in the creation of a sales group. Mr. Cepeda denied the allegations.
The situation changed in 2018 when the Colombian Supreme Court decided to open an investigation against Mr. Uribe on charges of witness bribery.
After many years of investigation and legal appeal by the defense at Mr. Uribe, in May 2024, the Colombia Prosecutor's Office officially indicted him on 3 charges: Fraudulent prosecution, bribery in criminal proceedings and bribery.
The allegations led to a 67-day trial that ended this week.
