Uribe joins list of former Latin American presidents with criminal convictions

Straits Times

10 hours ago

People hold masks depicting former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, as they protest in support of Uribe outside the Paloquemao court complex while waiting for the ruling in a criminal case against him, in Bogota, Colombia, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez
A Colombian judge on Monday convicted former President Alvaro Uribe of abuse of process and bribery of a public official, making him the first ex-president in the country's history to be found guilty at trial.
While this is unprecedented for the Andean nation, it is not so for the wider Latin American region where several former leaders have faced criminal convictions.
Here are some of their names:
CRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER - ARGENTINA
She was convicted in 2022 of corruption related to public works contracts. Last month, the Supreme Court upheld her sentence that includes a lifetime ban from holding public office, effectively bringing down the country's most prominent politician in decades.
The 72-year-old, a polarizing leftist two-term president from 2007 to 2015, as well as a former first lady, vice president and senator, is currently serving out her sentence under house arrest given her age. She has denied wrongdoing, claiming political persecution.
LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA - BRAZIL
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Brazil's current president was caught up in one of the country's largest corruption scandals, a probe known as "Car Wash," which revealed that some of Brazil's most powerful politicians and business people were involved in a billion-dollar corruption scheme at the state-owned oil firm Petrobras.
Lula was convicted of corruption and money laundering in two criminal cases that accused him of taking bribes from construction companies. His opponent in the 2018 presidential campaign, Jair Bolsonaro, won the election, while Lula served a 580-day prison sentence.
Lula's convictions were annulled in 2021 when the Supreme Court ruled that judge Sergio Moro, who oversaw Car Wash and later joined Bolsonaro's cabinet, was biased against the leftist leader. Lula has always denied the accusations. Lula has previously served as president between 2003 and 2010.
FERNANDO COLLOR DE MELLO - BRAZIL
Brazil's first president to win the popular vote after the end of the nation's last military dictatorship, Collor found himself at the centre of a corruption scandal just two years into his term which led to his impeachment and a ban on holding office for eight years. He was later acquitted.
Decades later, Collor was convicted of taking bribes from a Petrobras unit and is serving out his sentence under house arrest. The former president, later elected senator, had challenged the conviction.
RAFAEL CORREA - ECUADOR
Correa, who governed Ecuador for a decade starting in 2007, was convicted in 2020 and sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for leading a bribery network that financed his political party.
He has lived in Belgium since 2017, where he was granted political asylum, and maintains the charges are a form of political persecution. His former vice president, Jorge Glas, is serving multiple sentences in Ecuador for corruption and embezzlement.
MAURICIO FUNES - EL SALVADOR
El Salvador's one-time war correspondent and former leftist leader fled his country in 2016 for Nicaragua to avoid facing corruption charges for cutting deals with gang leaders.
He was convicted in absentia in 2023 by the administration of current President Nayib Bukele, itself accused of negotiating with groups like MS-13. Funes died this year after a "serious chronic illness."
ANTONIO SACA - EL SALVADOR
The former president was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to embezzling over $300 million in public funds during his term from 2004 and 2009. He is currently serving his time at the La Esperanza prison in El Salvador.
He became the first former Salvadoran president to be convicted of corruption.
OTTO PEREZ - GUATEMALA
Perez and his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, were forced out of office early and into prison after a graft case in which they were found guilty of illicit association and customs fraud.
Investigators had charged that they led a scheme in which importers paid bribes to avoid paying customs duties. Perez said the conviction was made "without a shred of proof."
ALEJANDRO TOLEDO - PERU
In October 2024, Toledo was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison for accepting $35 million in bribes from the construction firm Odebrecht.
Toledo, a 78-year-old economist who holds a doctorate from Stanford University, governed the nation between 2001 and 2006. Toledo has denied the money-laundering and collusion charges.
OLLANTA HUMALA - PERU
Humala was sentenced to 15 years in prison in April 2025 for laundering over $3 million in illicit campaign funds from Odebrecht.
His presidency was largely overshadowed by the major corruption scandals for which he was ultimately convicted. Humala decried the charges as political persecution.
He is serving his sentence in the same prison holding Toledo and former President Pedro Castillo, who is facing what could be a 34-year prison sentence for his 2022 attempt to dissolve Congress. The same prison also housed late Alberto Fujimori, former Peruvian president who was imprisoned until his release in 2023.
RICARDO MARTINELLI - PANAMA
Panama's former president was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for money laundering in a case known as "New Business," which alleged public funds were used to buy a media conglomerate and give Martinelli a majority stake.
He holed up in the Nicaraguan embassy in Panama to avoid serving his sentence before being granted asylum in Colombia, where he currently resides. He maintains his innocence. REUTERS