Bogotá Supreme Court examines Álvaro Uribe's appeal after conviction for bribery and procedural fraud

Published at: 21/10/2025 10:56 AM

This Tuesday, the Superior Court of Bogotá will announce the second instance ruling corresponding to the historic trial against the paramilitary father Álvaro Uribe Vélez, found guilty of the crimes of bribery in criminal proceedings and procedural fraud, resulting in a sentence of 12 years of house imprisonment, disqualification from holding public office for a period of one hundred months and 20 days, and the obligation to pay a fine.

The defense of Uribe Vélez appealed that sentence, handed down by Judge Sandra Heredia, criminal judge of the Circuit with Function of Knowledge of Bogotá (first instance), who found him guilty on July 28 and soon after, on August 1, he announced the sentence.

This is the result of the current appeal hearing, which began around 08:00 (local time). According to Colombian media, the ruling will fall to the following judges: Manuel Antonio Merchán Gutiérrez, Alexandra Ossa Sánchez and María Leonor Oviedo Pinto, attached to Criminal Decision Chamber number 19 of the high court.

The Prosecutor's Office substantially proved that Uribe Vélez's former lawyer, Diego Cadena, sought out imprisoned paramilitaries and, in exchange for material and legal benefits, such as prison benefits, urged them to make false statements before the courts to discredit Senator Iván Cepeda.

In context, on September 30, a criminal judge found Cadena guilty of bribery and witness manipulation, for which he was sentenced to seven years of house imprisonment.

Mazo News Team