The former president declared this Friday that he is already working on his appeal, which will be presented by the defense on August 11.

Life on the limit of Uribe Velez, by Carlos Granés

A historic conviction has been followed by a historic sentence. Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) has been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal proceedings, it was announced this Friday.

The document states that the judge of the 44th Criminal Circuit Court of Bogotá, Sandra Heredia, who will read the ruling from 2:00 p.m. local time (9 p.m. in Spain), decided to impose on Uribe a sentence, in the first instance, of 12 years of house arrest - it was considered that this would be 9 years -, a fine of more than 3.4 billion Colombian pesos (about 822,000 dollars) and disqualified him for more than eight years from exercising rights and public functions.

Uribe is the first Colombian president to be sentenced to prison. His defense announced a few days ago that it will appeal the sentence on August 11. Hours before the sentence was announced, Uribe himself announced that he was already working on arguments for his appeal."I often say in my presentations on leadership and crisis management that the most difficult crises are those that affect me personally. These personal crises require family, loved ones, friends, committed compatriots who have supported me, those who are distant but still possess an objective curiosity," Uribe wrote on his X account this Friday."And we must think much more about the solution than the problem. That's why I'm preparing the arguments to support my defense's appeal."

Last Monday, after eleven hours of reading and supporting her sentence, the 44th Criminal Circuit Judge of Bogotá, Sandra Liliana Heredia, found former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez guilty of bribery in criminal proceedings and witness tampering, and exonerated him of the simple bribery charge. For the judge, Uribe Vélez knew of the illicit nature of his actions; that is, he was aware of the actions of his lawyer, Diego Cadena, who in 2017 tried to buy statements from convicted former paramilitaries and allegedly supported the creation of evidence that would favor Uribe Vélez in lawsuits alleging paramilitarism, all of which was explained at the time as simple humanitarian aid.

I often say in my presentations on leadership and crisis management that the most difficult crises are those that affect us personally. These personal crises require family, loved ones, friends, committed compatriots who have supported us, those who are distant but close…

— Álvaro Uribe Vélez (@AlvaroUribeVel) August 1, 2025

If the defense's appeal fails, the case could end up back in the Supreme Court, which would mean another five years of this long and grueling case that has impacted national politics and the image of the Colombian judicial system for 13 years. The reality is that for the first time, a former Colombian president has been found guilty—precisely the former president who most divides the country. While some venerate him and believe the entire process reflects persecution against him as a leader of the right in Colombia, others repudiate him with equal intensity.

Reactions

After the sentence was announced, which was announced earlier than scheduled, reactions began to pour in. Gabriel Vallejo, president of the Democratic Center party, founded by Uribe, expressed his sadness and indignation on the radio, emphasizing his respect for the court ruling:"We accept it, but the country must be clear that an innocent man is being convicted here. President Uribe's procedural guarantees have not only been violated from the beginning, but today we are seeing what we have denounced from the beginning: the instrumentalization of the Colombian justice system to morally annihilate Álvaro Uribe, to politically annihilate him. An innocent man is being convicted here; President Uribe's procedural guarantees have not only been violated from the beginning."

For its part, the Colombian Presidency posted a tweet with a subtle reference to the conviction: President Petro Gustavo reiterates that this government defends the independence of the judiciary and does not exert pressure on its decisions.

The confrontation between Petro and Uribe over this historic trial has been constant in recent months, causing moments of great tension that culminated this Friday in a lawsuit filed by the former president against the former guerrilla.

Uribe has filed a criminal complaint with the House of Representatives' Investigation and Accusation Committee against President Petro for harassment and slander, the law firm of Víctor Mosquera Marín reported Friday. The facts that motivate this criminal action derive from a series of public statements made by the head of state on July 28 and 29, 2025, through his official account on the social network X, with an audience of more than 8 million followers, the law firm said.

According to the lawyers, President Petro made direct, unfounded accusations lacking judicial support, attributing to former President Uribe serious criminal conduct such as homicide, drug trafficking, paramilitarism, and corruption, acts for which there has been no criminal conviction or judicial decision.