Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe under House Arrest
On TuesdayAugust 4, 2020, the Colombian Supreme Court issues a warrant ordering the arrest of former President Álvaro Uribe, who ruled the country from 2002 to 2010. The warrant will place Uribe under house arrest on charges of bribery and witness tampering.
“The deprivation of my freedom causes me deep sadness for my lady, for my family and for the Colombians who still believe that I have done something good for the Homeland,” Uribe wrote on Twitter after the news broke.
credit: Neil Palmer (CIAT)
The case against the former Colombian president began in 2014, when Senator Iván Cepeda, a member of the Polo Democrático party, presented to the Congress of the Republic the file containing the investigations against the accused. In the file were a dozen witnesses who received financial compensation in exchange for offering testimonies that favored Uribe.
The arrest of the former president is unprecedented in Colombia.
Cepeda revealed photographs and testimonies showing that Uribe created an illegal army to fight the FARC during the 1990’s when he was Governor of the Department of Antioquia. Instead, the army massacred thousands of civilians, stripped peasants, and forced hundreds of families to flee the countryside.
The decision made by the Supreme Court resolves for the moment the legal situation of Álvaro Uribe by ordering his arrest. While court continues with the investigation, the former president must remain at his home.
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