Colombian President Petro Reacts to Álvaro Uribe’s Conviction Reversal: «This Covers Up the History of Paramilitary Governance in Colombia»

Original article: Petro tras revocación de condena a expresidente Álvaro Uribe: «Así se tapa la historia de la gobernanza paramilitar en Colombia»

In a controversial ruling, the Bogotá Superior Court has acquitted former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe (pictured) of charges including «bribery in judicial action» and «procedural fraud,» for which he had previously been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Uribe served as president from 2002 to 2010. Colombian media reports indicate that the parties involved now have five business days to file a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court, which will then have six months to decide whether to take up the case.

Senator Iván Cepeda announced plans to file the appeal, stating, «We will persevere; we will continue working to ensure truth in this case and in others for which Álvaro Uribe is responsible for very serious acts. There should be no doubt. Our commitment, along with that of the victims, is perseverance. The victims are more steadfast than injustice and impunity,» asserted the legislator.

According to Cepeda, «important facts and evidence pointing to Álvaro Uribe’s responsibility were ignored, starting with the exclusion of intercepted communications between Uribe and (Diego) Cadena,» the former president’s attorney.

This point was also criticized by Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, who commented on the ruling through his account on social media platform X, saying, «The Bogotá Superior Court repeats history, contradicting the Supreme Court of Justice, and claims that the interception made judicially by a Supreme Court magistrate on a criminal, where Uribe’s voice discussing bribes appears, is a matter of privacy,» the president wrote.

«This is how the history of paramilitary governance in Colombia is concealed, that is, the history of politicians who came to power allied with drug trafficking and unleashed genocide in Colombia,» Petro added.

«Now Trump, allied with these politicians and Uribe, seeks to sanction the President who denounced the political alliances between Colombian power and paramilitary drug trafficking, with the help of those who aided paramilitarism in the country,» Petro criticized.

One Magistrate Disagreed

During the hearing, Magistrate Leonor Oviedo expressed her disagreement with the decision to acquit Uribe. In her address, she asserted that, in her view, the interception should remain valid, emphasizing that those communications needed to be included in the proceedings for proper evaluation according to the rules of the trial.

We will continue to provide updates. Read more about this case:

Icon of Chilean far-right: The record of Álvaro Uribe, former Colombian president convicted by justice

Trial Against Álvaro Uribe: Evidence and Testimonies Supporting Prosecutor’s Accusation Validated

Petro Urges US Embassy in Colombia Not to Interfere in National Justice Following Criticisms of Uribe’s Conviction

The Citizen