Colombia: Uribe's legal team could be qualified as committing contempt for absence from trial

Published at: 11/02/2025 03:56 PM

The trial against the father of Colombian paramilitarism, Álvaro Uribe Vélez, was postponed until next Thursday because the former president's legal team was absent from court, which could be described as contempt.

In a videoconference, the accused himself, the absence of his team was due to the fact that they expected the appeal filed the day before against Judge Sandra Heredia, whom Uribe's defense pointed out that he engaged in partial behavior, will be resolved.

Judge 44 had previously denied the challenge of Uribe's lawyers, because she found that they did not support her request. For this reason, Judge Heredia commented that, by not reporting on the decision to leave the court, members of the defense could be declared in contempt.

Senator Iván Cepeda, recognized as a victim in the process, declared that the actions of Uribe's lawyers constituted an unfair act, and described what happened as a maneuver to obstruct and delay the trial in which the head of state is accused of bribing witnesses and procedural fraud.

In this regard, the group of victims requested international observation, for which it will use the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the United Nations, and internationally recognized non-governmental organizations.

Mazo News Team