Latest news with #AlvaroUribe
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Alvaro Uribe: Colombia's first ex-president convicted of a crime
Alvaro Uribe , president of Colombia from 2002 to 2010, was wildly popular in rightwing sectors for his war on leftist guerrillas during a particularly vicious period of the country's six-decade-old conflict. Today, opinion polls suggest the 73-year-old remains the most trusted politician in the South American country confronting an upsurge in violence. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Data Science healthcare MBA Degree Project Management Healthcare others Management Data Analytics Artificial Intelligence Others Design Thinking Technology Finance Operations Management Data Science Public Policy Digital Marketing Product Management CXO Cybersecurity PGDM Leadership MCA Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Prof Cert in DS & BA with GenAI India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 10 Months IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK DABS India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 30 Weeks IIM Kozhikode SEPO - IIMK-AI for Senior Executives India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 11 Months E&ICT Academy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati CERT-IITG Postgraduate Cert in AI and ML India Starts on undefined Get Details Born to a landowner in the western Antioquia department, Uribe was elected to Colombia's highest office at the height of the conflict between guerrillas fighting poverty and political marginalization, rightwing paramilitary groups set up to crush the leftists, and the military. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Brought to you by Undo He is himself accused of having had ties to paramilitary fighters who often had the backing of agrarian elites. Uribe denies the claims, which are at the heart of his criminal conviction Monday for witness tampering. As president, Uribe adopted a hard line against the Marxist-inspired Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), which he accused of killing his father in a botched 1983 kidnapping attempt. Live Events With US backing for his campaign, several FARC leaders were killed on Uribe's orders and soldiers were deployed en masse in operations that gave many Colombians a sense of security, although the violence never diminished. Uribe, a US- and British-educated lawyer who prides himself on being a workaholic who cannot sing, dance or tell jokes, counts a passion for horses among his few distractions. He is a staunch Roman Catholic who practices yoga in the morning and prays at night. Uribe entered politics after his father's death, serving as a senator, mayor of his hometown Medellin, and governor of Antioquia -- Colombia's most populated department. As president, he successfully pushed a constitutional change that allowed him to be re-elected for a second consecutive term -- a reform later overturned by Colombia's highest court. Arguing he needed continuity to see out his battle against armed insurgents and the drug trade they controlled, Uribe also tried, unsuccessfully, to secure a third presidential term. Betrayal Uribe earned praise from Washington for his tough anti-drug policies and strong economic growth as president. Detractors call him an authoritarian who failed the poor. After his presidency ended, Uribe served another term in Congress from 2014-2020 and has continued campaigning for the political right and his Democratic Center party since then. He was instrumental in the choice of his successor: Juan Manuel Santos, who would go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts towards a peace deal with the FARC in 2016. For Uribe, this was the ultimate betrayal. His vehement rejection of the agreement that saw the FARC down arms in 2017 has been gaining ground as recent peace efforts have failed under President Gustavo Petro -- Colombia's first-ever leftist president, in office since 2022. Divisive figure A man of short posture and deliberate speech, Uribe is a divisive figure: loved and hated in equal measure. He is known for losing his temper, once being recorded insulting a journalist and threatening physical violence. Even fervent detractors recognize his oratory and administrative skills. But his legacy has been tainted by numerous corruption and espionage claims swirling around members of his entourage. Uribe is under investigation for more than 6,000 civilian executions and forced disappearances allegedly committed by the military under his command. He has also testified in a preliminary probe into a 1997 paramilitary massacre of subsistence farmers when he was governor of Antioquia from 1995 to 1997. During his life, Uribe claims to have survived 15 assassination attempts, including a rocket attack by former guerrillas on the day of his first inauguration. Uribe is married and has two grown sons who have had to answer claims that they rode on his presidential coattails to become successful entrepreneurs. His conviction on Monday made him the first former Colombian president to be found guilty of a crime.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Uribe joins list of former Latin American presidents with criminal convictions
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 Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Thirty dead, over 80,000 evacuated, following heavy rain in Beijing Asia Thai army accuses Cambodia of violating truce World Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres Business Crypto's comeback: Should Bitcoin and other digital assets be in your portfolio now? Business BYD tops Singapore car sales in first half of 2025 with almost one-fifth of the market Asia Giant algal bloom off South Australia devastates marine life, threatens seafood exports Singapore ST Explains: What we know about the Tanjong Katong sinkhole so far Sport Dare to dream, urges Singapore's first International Swimming Hall of Famer Joseph Schooling 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
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Colombia's Uribe convicted of witness tampering, becomes first ex-president found guilty
BOGOTA, July 29 — A Colombian judge on Monday convicted former President Alvaro Uribe of abuse of process and bribery of a public official in a long-running witness tampering case, making him the country's first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial. Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia read her decision aloud to the court over the course of some ten hours. She found the right-wing politician not guilty of a separate bribery charge. The ruling, which Uribe's legal team said he will appeal, is the latest decision in a hugely politicised case that has run for about 13 years. The decision comes less than a year before Colombia's 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe's allies and proteges are competing for the country's top office. Uribe, 73, and his supporters say the process is a persecution and that he is innocent. His detractors have celebrated it as the deserved downfall for a man who has been repeatedly accused of close relationships with violent right-wing paramilitaries, but never convicted of any crime. Each charge carries a jail sentence of between six and 12 years. Heredia is expected to sentence Uribe on Friday, as well as decide if he will remain free on appeal. 'Justice does not kneel before power,' Heredia told the court on Monday morning as she opened her remarks. 'It is at the service of the Colombian people.' 'We want to say to Colombia that justice has arrived,' she said, adding that her full decision is some 1,000 pages long. Uribe and one of his lawyers, Jaime Granados, joined the hearing via video link, while another lawyer, Jaime Lombana, appeared in person. 'This is not the end of this process, the appeal is next and we are going to demonstrate that this decision, which we respect, is wrong,' lawyer Juan Felipe Amaya, part of Uribe's legal team, told journalists at the court. Granados told the hearing that the presumption of Uribe's innocence should be maintained and asked for him to remain free during the remainder of the process. Detractors and supporters of the former president gathered outside the court, with some Uribe backers sporting masks of his face. Even if the conviction is eventually upheld, Uribe may be allowed to serve his final sentence on house arrest because of his age. Paramilitary plot Uribe, who was president from 2002 to 2010 and oversaw a military offensive against leftist guerrilla groups, was investigated along with several allies over allegations of witness tampering carried out in an attempt to discredit accusations he had ties to paramilitaries. Judges have twice rejected requests by prosecutors to shelve the case, which stems from Uribe's allegation in 2012 that leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda had orchestrated a plot to tie him to paramilitaries. The Supreme Court said in 2018 that Cepeda had collected information from former fighters as part of his work and had not paid or pressured former paramilitaries. Instead, the court said it was Uribe and his allies who pressured witnesses. Cepeda attended the Monday hearing in person with his counsel. Uribe's trial triggered sharp criticism from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of the judge's decision. Uribe had a close relationship with the US during his two terms as president. 'Uribe's only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland. The weaponisation of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent,' Rubio said on X. 'A decision against the ex-president could generate some kind of reprisal by the government of the United States,' Banco de Bogota said in a note on Monday, referring to a proposal by US Republican lawmaker Mario Diaz-Balart to cut non-military aid to Colombia next year, partly on concerns of due process violations in the Uribe case Uribe, who was placed under house arrest for two months in 2020, is head of the powerful Democratic Center party and was a senator for years both before and after his presidency. He has repeatedly emphasised that he extradited paramilitary leaders to the United States. Colombia's truth commission says paramilitary groups, which demobilised under deals with Uribe's government, killed more than 205,000 people, nearly half of the 450,000 deaths recorded during the ongoing civil conflict. Paramilitaries, along with guerrilla groups and members of the armed forces, also committed forced disappearances, sexual violence, displacement and other crimes. Uribe joins a list of Latin American leaders who have been convicted and sometimes jailed, including Peru's Alberto Fujimori, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez and Panama's Ricardo Martinelli. — Reuters
Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Colombia ex-president Uribe guilty of abuse of process, bribery of public official
Former Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe visits the hospital where Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay is being treated after he was shot during a campaign event, in Bogota, Colombia, June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo BOGOTA - A Colombian judge on Monday convicted former President Alvaro Uribe of abuse of process and bribery of a public official in a long-running witness tampering case, making him the country's first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial. Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia read her decision aloud to the court over the course of some ten hours. She found the right-wing politician not guilty of a separate bribery charge. The ruling, which Uribe's legal team said he will appeal, is the latest decision in a hugely politicized case that has run for about 13 years. The decision comes less than a year before Colombia's 2026 presidential election, in which several of Uribe's allies and proteges are competing for the country's top office. Uribe, 73, and his supporters say the process is a persecution and that he is innocent. His detractors have celebrated it as the deserved downfall for a man who has been repeatedly accused of close relationships with violent right-wing paramilitaries, but never convicted of any crime. Each charge carries a jail sentence of between six and 12 years. Heredia is expected to sentence Uribe on Friday, as well as decide if he will remain free on appeal. "Justice does not kneel before power," Heredia told the court on Monday morning as she opened her remarks. "It is at the service of the Colombian people." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Thirty dead, over 80,000 evacuated, following heavy rain in Beijing World Trump says many are starving in Gaza, vows to set up food centres Business BYD tops Singapore car sales in first half of 2025 with almost one-fifth of the market Asia Giant algal bloom off South Australia devastates marine life, threatens seafood exports Asia Cambodia, Thailand agree to 'immediate and unconditional ceasefire' to de-escalate border row Singapore ST Explains: What we know about the Tanjong Katong sinkhole so far Sport Dare to dream, urges Singapore's first International Swimming Hall of Famer Joseph Schooling Singapore 44 suspects under probe for involvement in SIM card fraud "We want to say to Colombia that justice has arrived," she said, adding that her full decision is some 1,000 pages long. Uribe and one of his lawyers, Jaime Granados, joined the hearing via video link, while another lawyer, Jaime Lombana, appeared in person. "This is not the end of this process, the appeal is next and we are going to demonstrate that this decision, which we respect, is wrong," lawyer Juan Felipe Amaya, part of Uribe's legal team, told journalists at the court. Granados told the hearing that the presumption of Uribe's innocence should be maintained and asked for him to remain free during the remainder of the process. Detractors and supporters of the former president gathered outside the court, with some Uribe backers sporting masks of his face. Even if the conviction is eventually upheld, Uribe may be allowed to serve his final sentence on house arrest because of his age. PARAMILITARY PLOT Uribe, who was president from 2002 to 2010 and oversaw a military offensive against leftist guerrilla groups, was investigated along with several allies over allegations of witness tampering carried out in an attempt to discredit accusations he had ties to paramilitaries. Judges have twice rejected requests by prosecutors to shelve the case, which stems from Uribe's allegation in 2012 that leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda had orchestrated a plot to tie him to paramilitaries. The Supreme Court said in 2018 that Cepeda had collected information from former fighters as part of his work and had not paid or pressured former paramilitaries. Instead, the court said it was Uribe and his allies who pressured witnesses. Cepeda attended the Monday hearing in person with his counsel. Uribe's trial triggered sharp criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio ahead of the judge's decision. Uribe had a close relationship with the U.S. during his two terms as president. "Uribe's only crime has been to tirelessly fight and defend his homeland. The weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges has now set a worrisome precedent," Rubio said on X. "A decision against the ex-president could generate some kind of reprisal by the government of the United States," Banco de Bogota said in a note on Monday, referring to a proposal by U.S. Republican lawmaker Mario Diaz-Balart to cut non-military aid to Colombia next year, partly on concerns of due process violations in the Uribe case. Uribe, who was placed under house arrest for two months in 2020, is head of the powerful Democratic Center party and was a senator for years both before and after his presidency. He has repeatedly emphasized that he extradited paramilitary leaders to the United States. Colombia's truth commission says paramilitary groups, which demobilized under deals with Uribe's government, killed more than 205,000 people, nearly half of the 450,000 deaths recorded during the ongoing civil conflict. Paramilitaries, along with guerrilla groups and members of the armed forces, also committed forced disappearances, sexual violence, displacement and other crimes. Uribe joins a list of Latin American leaders who have been convicted and sometimes jailed, including Peru's Alberto Fujimori, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ecuador's Rafael Correa, Argentina's Cristina Fernandez and Panama's Ricardo Martinelli. REUTERS
South China Morning Post
17 hours ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Uribe becomes first Colombian ex-head to be convicted, sets off ‘political earthquake'
Former president Alvaro Uribe Velez has become the first Colombian head of state to be convicted of a crime, a landmark decision expected to reverberate through the country's political system less than a year before presidential elections. A judge in Bogota ruled on Monday that Uribe, who governed from 2002 to 2010, was responsible in the first instance for bribery of witnesses and obstruction of justice after a more than 10-hour hearing. The case centres on allegations that the right-wing leader dispatched intermediaries to prisons to pressure former members of illegal armed groups into altering their testimony – retracting accusations against him and instead implicating left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda. Uribe, 73, remains a deeply divisive figure in Colombia. For some, he is a hero credited with saving the country from collapse, particularly through his military campaign against Marxist guerillas like the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). His successor, Juan Manuel Santos, later signed a peace deal with the Farc in 2016. Others, however, believe Uribe had ties to paramilitary groups who sought to undermine Colombia's democratic institutions. His military campaign was marred by the 'false positives' scandal: the killing of innocent civilians by the military, who falsely presented them as guerilla members to inflate combat statistics. While some high-ranking officers have been convicted of such crimes, Uribe has denied wrongdoing or that his policies encouraged such actions. He has also denied connections with right-wing paramilitaries.
