This Monday, May 5, on the 32nd day of the judicial process, the second phase of the trial against former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez began in the 44th Criminal Court of the Paloquemao Judicial Complex, in Bogotá. The hearing marked the beginning of the evidence of the defense, and Uribe, in an unprecedented gesture, appeared in person to declare as the first witness of his own cause.
during the day, Uribe expressly resigned from his right to remain silent. In his statement, he denied having ordered maneuvers to manipulate witnesses and defended the integrity of his public career. He also apologized for offensive statements filtered in telephone interceptions, in which he criticized his defense lawyers, Jaime Granados and Jaime Lombana. “I offer excuses for a foul and impertinent word that I shouldn’t have to say about two competent lawyers,” he said before Judge Sandra Heredia.
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The Prosecutor’s Office presented that audio as evidence, which evidenced a fracture in the relationship between Uribe and its legal team. In the recording, the ex -president manifests distrust of the way in which his lawyers handle several cases, even oblivious to the current trial.
In addition, during his testimony, Uribe answered questions about his political career and family ties. He recalled his period as governor of Antioquia (1995-1997), defended his security policy and rejected any relationship with paramilitarism. He also explained the sale of the Guacharacas farm in 1996 and denied links with figures questioned such as Santiago Gallón, accusing media such as the Week magazine of spreading falsehoods about his family.
The case against the former president dates back to 2012, when he denounced the then representative Iván Cepeda for alleged manipulation of witnesses. However, in 2020, the Supreme Court issued a 220 -page car, concluding that there were no irregularities by Cepeda, and that, on the other hand, Uribe would have been the one who sought to influence statements of exparamilitaries. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Uribe would have ordered his ex -book Diego Cadena to contact these inmates to change their versions and retract testimonies that linked him to the United Self -Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC).
For this stage of the trial, the defense of the ex -president plans to present more than 70 witnesses, including figures such as Santiago Uribe (his brother, recently acquitted by alleged links with illegal groups), former minister convicted Andrés Felipe Arias and his cousin Mario Uribe, condemned by parapolitics. In contrast, the Prosecutor’s Office has already presented 37 witnesses.
This phase of the trial is expected to be extensive and complex, given the magnitude of the evidence, the number of witnesses and the political relevance of the process.
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