Violent incursion against Juan Guillermo Monsalve, key witness against Álvaro Uribe, has been reported

Published at: 25/02/2025 11:31 PM

Colombian lawyer Reinaldo Villalba, reported this Tuesday, February 25, that the key witness in the trial against former president Álvaro Uribe, Juan Guillermo Monsalve, was assaulted in the morning in his cell in the La Picota prison, located in Bogotá, Colombia, reported on the Telesur website.

In a statement, Villalba highlighted that Monsalve “was beaten, that they searched for documents, photos, finally threw his medicines on the floor and threw others away.”

He recalled that Monsalve is still recovering from a delicate surgery that was performed a few weeks ago.

“We describe this act as an intimidating act because it occurred precisely one day before the court summoned him to testify in the proceedings against the citizen Álvaro Uribe Vélez,” said the lawyer.

The incident took place one day before the start of the trial against the former president of the Colombian extreme right, on charges of bribery, witness bribery and procedural fraud.

Although the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute (INPEC) has so far not officially commented on the incident, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, rejected what happened on his account on the social network X, in which he said that “no government institution should influence or pressure anyone in criminal proceedings.”

In addition, the Uribe Case Victims Caucus issued a statement denouncing the attack against Monsalve, where they describe the incident as “a clearly intimidating action against the witness, whose testimony in the oral trial is scheduled to begin tomorrow.”

Juan Guillermo Monsalve is a key witness in the case against Uribe, as he has stated that both the former president and his brother Santiago Uribe participated in the establishment of the Metro Self-Defense Bloc on a farm he owned.

In December 2024, Monsalve suffered a heart attack and was therefore hospitalized in intensive care.

Mazo News Team