09:55 AM
With the denial of the request for annulment of the process, the case of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez before the Prosecutor’s Office, investigated by bribery, bribery of witnesses and procedural fraud, moves towards a new phase.
The judicial process against Uribe has been a journey of several years that has now completed more than a decade. This case began in February 2012 when Uribe was the one who denounced Senator Iván Cepeda before the Supreme Court of Justice, accusing him of witness tampering involving alleged paramilitary activities. However, the high court found that In reality, there were indications that the former president could have committed these crimes. Quite a boomerang effect.
In context: Prosecutor’s Office formally accused Álvaro Uribe of alleged fraud and bribery
It was until 2018 when the Supreme Court notified Uribe about the process and He called him for investigation. After several comings and goings The former president’s house arrest was ordered in 2020; However, in 2021, Judge Clara Salcedo decided to lift this measure.
Between 2021 and 2023 there were two requests for estoppel by the Prosecutor’s Office, which were denied by the judges. Finally, on April 9, 2024, The Prosecutor’s Office filed the formal accusation against Uribe for bribery and procedural fraud.
This came with the request of Uribe’s defense for the annulment of the case, but this Friday the criminal judge Sandra Heredia of Bogotá declared that the accusation is properly formulated, so now the evidentiary discovery stage begins.
This means that the Prosecutor’s Office must now present all the evidence that it plans to use during the trial, i.e. the preparatory hearing for the trial.
Read also: This was the impeachment hearing of former President Álvaro Uribe
“The accusation against Mr. Álvaro Uribe was duly formulated, who From this moment on he acquires the status of accused, At this moment we then move on to the evidentiary discovery stage,” were Judge Heredia’s statements.
At 71 years old, Uribe would face, in the first criminal trial against a former president in the history of Colombia, to a sentence of between six and 12 years. Thus, the next trial hearing will be held on July 10.
After the preparatory hearing, the oral trial stage follows. During this phase, the trial itself takes place, where evidence and testimonies are presented. Both the defense and the prosecution have the opportunity to present their arguments and counterarguments, as well as present evidence. Finally, a sentence is issued that can acquit the accused or convict him.
