Nullity of trial against Álvaro Uribe in Colombia is dismissed

The Superior Court of Bogotá today rejected the request to declare the annulment of the process against former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010) for the alleged crimes of bribery, bribery of witnesses and procedural fraud.

The court’s refusal to suspend the complaint ratifies the decision previously made by the 44th criminal judge of Bogotá who previously rejected the request for annulment made by the former president’s defense.

Judge Manuel Antonio Merchán concluded that Uribe’s lawyer’s argument that procedural errors were incurred was unfounded, which is why the trial will continue. The genesis of the case dates back to 2012, when the former president denounced Senator Iván Cepeda for allegedly giving benefits to witnesses to point out that he and his family had links with the paramilitaries.

After examining the allegation presented, the Supreme Court of Justice filed the complaint and ruled that it was Uribe who made false testimony against Cepeda.

Faced with this situation, he was forced in 2020 to resign from his senatorial seat to stop being qualified, allowing his case to go to ordinary justice.

At that time, however, the Prosecutor’s Office decided that there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.

However, on January 16, the first prosecutor delegated to the Supreme Court of Justice, Gilberto Villarreal, reopened the case and determined that there was sufficient evidence to charge him.

Taking into account the evidence, the Prosecutor’s Office accused the former head of state and considered that he had conscious, deliberate and systematic support from multiple people, who, to support him, devised means of evidence that would account for partially true facts or situations that did not correspond with the reality.