In an unprecedented move, Colombia’s Supreme Court has put Álvaro Uribe Vélez under house arrest while it decides whether he should stand trial for bribery and witness tampering.
Senator and former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez will be confined to his home for up to a year, while the Supreme Court investigates charges of witness tampering and procedural fraud.
What actually happened?
Colombia’s Supreme Court has made history by putting former president and now senator Álvaro Uribe Vélez under house arrest. Uribe Vélez is accused of witness tampering and procedural fraud. Note that he hasn’t been found guilty of those crimes, only that the five judges have essentially decided that there is enough evidence to move forward with the case.
And in moving forward, they’ve ordered the house arrest as a medida de aseguramiento — or assurance measure. Given that he’s facing charges of interfering with justice, the idea is that he’ll be less able to do that if he can’t leave his house. It is the first time that this measure has been taken against an ex-president.
So Uribe Vélez’s under house arrest but he hasn’t been convicted?
Exactly. Uribe Vélez will be confined to his house, beginning immediately and it could last for up to one year. Various bits of evidence still remain to be processed before we even get to a trial.
What is Álvaro Uribe Vélez accused of?
This is a bit of a tangled web, so bear with us. Back in 2012 and again in 2014, Polo Democrático senator Iván Cepeda clashed with Uribe Vélez, accusing both him and his brother of founding a block of the AUC paramilitary group, allegations that stretch back years.. He presented testimonies from ex-AUC combatants.
Cepeda was then himself accused of witness tampering. But the tables were again turned in 2018, when the Supreme Court ruled that Uribe should be investigated.
A lot centres around the former paramilitary Juan Guillermo Monsalve, and even more centres around the actions of Uribe Vélez’s lawyer, Diego Cadena. Cadena has already been charged with trying to interfere with Monsalve’s testimony as well as other testimonies. Both he and Uribe Vélez say he did so of his own accord. To understand more, check out La Silla Vacia’s rundown of what happened and who’s who.
Note that the Supreme Court is not investigating whether Uribe Vélez was connected to the paramilitary group, it’s investigating whether he tried to interfere with witnesses who might have said he was.
What happens next?
Uribe Vélez continues to deny the allegations against him. He is likely to decamp to his home in Medellín, as he can choose which house he wishes to be arrested in.
In terms of the case, this is really just the beginning. The Supreme Court now needs to investigate further and make a final decision on whether to take Uribe Vélez to trial.
View Comments (4)
Graeme, having spent 25 years travelling back and forth and living in Colombia for many years, you hit the nail bang on the head. Uribe change the course of Colombia and no person managed anything close to that. All those Colombians who now have returned home because of the Peace, all those Colombians who can move relatively freely are due to Uribe and his governments determination. An excellent and passionate leader who is devoted to Colombia. The Supreme Court should be utterly ashamed of themselves. It only take an iota of common sense to realise that there are far more pressing issues at bay. All the freedoms that the supreme judges enjoy and their families enjoy yesterday, today and tomorrow are due to the man they are witch hunting.
A sad day for many of us, not just Colombians - A man of outstanding ability and incredible courage who over the two terms in office returned the country from the brink of chaos and brutality. There would have been no peace without Uribe having laid the ground for it happen - shame on the supreme court. Look at Colombia now compared to what is was 20 years! from a Narco state rife with criminal gangs that exported misery to the world to the fastest growing South American economy. Is it all perfect in Colombia? No - but it is so much better than it was and that is largely down to the ability, courage and leadership of Álvaro Uribe Vélez.
Yeah and dogs were well off under Hitler, he liked dogs
Couldn't have been said better. What an irony that while this happens there are people in the supreme court and senate that were once members of the FARC group who has terrorized this country for over 50 years.