Former Colombian president Álvaro Uribe, facing the possibility of a landmark criminal case, denounced his indictment as an act of political revenge.
Never before has a Colombian president been tried on criminal charges. But earlier this week, Colombia's Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo Garzón's office announced that prosecutors would file criminal charges against Mr. Uribe, accusing him of engaging in witness tampering and fraud.
On Wednesday, Uribe responded in a video statement distributed on social media.
“The trial is being carried out for political persecution, personal censure and political revenge, but there is no evidence that I tried to bribe witnesses or mislead justice,” Uribe, 71, said. .
He stressed that there is no evidence that he is involved in any wrongdoing or that he is connected to any paramilitary groups embroiled in Colombia's decades-long internal conflict.
“They are opening the prison doors without any evidence,” Uribe added.
His political party, the right-wing group Democratic Center, also expressed support for the former president on social media.
The group said it received the news that criminal charges were pending with “pain and sadness.”
“Like the majority of Colombians who believed and supported Álvaro Uribe Vélez, the Center for Democracy agrees with the former president, whose work and achievements in Colombia were carried out with infinite love and great dedication to the national community. Maintains a firm belief in innocence and honor. Country,” Democratic Center I wrote it in the post on tuesday.
So far, no criminal charges have yet been filed and no hearing has been set.
However, if convicted of witness tampering, he could face up to 12 years in prison. Uribe could face up to eight years in prison for procedural fraud.
Uribe has long been under scrutiny for crimes he committed during his two terms in power from 2002 to 2010.
Tuesday's announcement largely stems from decade-old accusations that Mr. Uribe tried to silence witnesses linking him to the founding and activities of right-wing militias.
In 2014, a left-wing senator named Ivan Cepeda raised concerns in Congress about Uribe's ties to the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC), a paramilitary group accused of human rights abuses and drug trafficking.
Colombia has been embroiled in a 60-year civil war, with government forces, far-right militias, left-wing rebels and criminal organizations all vying for power and territory.
During his time in office, Uribe developed a reputation for taking a tough approach against leftist rebels, deploying troops against groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
He was also considered a close ally of the United States in the global “war on drugs.”
But Uribe's tactics have raised concerns about human rights abuses. Under his administration, the military was accused of killing civilians in remote areas and counting them as enemy combatants, a series of incidents known as “false positive” scandals.
Even after leaving office, Uribe continued to have a huge influence on Colombian politics, including leading a movement against the 2016 peace agreement with the FARC.
This week, his supporters defended the popular former president on social media with the hashtag #CreoEnUribe, or “I believe in Uribe.”
Prosecutors say the former president tried to persuade witnesses to recant their testimony after Sen. Cepeda raised questions about Uribe's alleged ties to the AUC paramilitary group.
One of the witnesses appears to be Juan Guillermo Monsalve, a former militia member who Uribe claims helped expand the AUC.
Mr. Monsalve had previously accused Mr. Uribe of using his lawyer, Diego Cadena, to offer bribes in exchange for him recanting his testimony.
The announcement of the impending criminal charges came shortly after Camargo Gerson was elected attorney general in March.
She was one of three nominees that President Gustavo Petro submitted to the Supreme Court for a vote. Petro, who has been in power since 2022, is considered Colombia's first elected leftist leader.
The Supreme Court had previously opened an investigation into Mr. Uribe. Prosecutors twice tried to close the investigation, but judges rejected their requests both times.
Uribe was placed under house arrest in 2020 amid an investigation into allegations of witness tampering.
