Uribe, who was president from 2002 to 2010, faces up to 12 years in prison for tampering and bribing witnesses.
Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has been accused of witness tampering and bribery, becoming the first head of state to face a criminal trial in the Latin American country.
The charges arise from an investigation into Uribe’s alleged ties to right-wing paramilitary groups. The 71-year-old leader is accused of “offering money or other benefits” to witnesses to discredit a political opponent who was deepening his family ties with armed groups.
If convicted, Uribe could face up to 12 years in prison.
Uribe, who was president from 2002 to 2010, denied any wrongdoing and accused the Colombian Attorney General’s Office of “political revenge”.
There are wiretapped phone conversations in which the former president can be heard discussing with one of his lawyers efforts to bring down two former paramilitary fighters who were scheduled to testify against him. Uribe said his conversations were illegally intercepted.
“I never tried to look for witnesses. I wanted to defend my reputation,” said Uribe during the virtual hearing.
Judge Sandra Heredia rejected his request to dismiss the case.
The case dates back to 2012
Uribe said on Friday he felt hurt at being the first former president to have to defend himself in court.
The matter dates back to 2012, when Uribe, then a senator, filed a complaint against left-wing senator Ivan Cepeda, whom he accused of hatching a plot to falsely link him to paramilitary groups.
But the Supreme Court decided not to investigate Cepeda, turning instead to Uribe.
The investigation against Uribe began in 2018 and has taken numerous twists and turns, with several attorneys general trying to close the case.
It gained new momentum with Attorney General Luz Camargo, who took office in March and was chosen by Colombia’s first left-wing president, Gustavo Petro – historically an enemy of Uribe.
Uribe, who remains a prominent voice on the Colombian right, was known for being tough on leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) fighters and strongly opposed the historic 2016 peace deal that saw Marxist rebels disarm yourself.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
