STORY: Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced by a judge on Friday (August 1) to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official, in a long-running case over connections to former right-wing paramilitaries.

Uribe was convicted of the two charges on Monday (July 28) by Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia in a witness-tampering case that has run for about 13 years. He has always maintained his innocence.

Heredia read the sentence to the court in an afternoon hearing on Friday. Uribe will be fined $578,000, Heredia's ruling said, and barred from public office for more than eight years.

Uribe, whose legal team has said he will appeal the ruling, is to report to authorities in Rionegro, province of Antioquia, where he resides, and then "proceed immediately to his residence where he will comply with house arrest," the ruling said.

Uribe and his lawyers appeared virtually at the afternoon hearing. There is an appeal hearing scheduled for August 4.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 1, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. PROTESTERS OUTSIDE COURT

2. VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR VIEWS OF COURT ENTRANCE

INTERNET (AUGUST 1, 2025) (COLOMBIAN JUSTICE HANDOUT – Access all)

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUDGE, SANDRA LILIANA HEREDIA, SAYING (SHOT SHOWS SPLIT SCREEN WITH HEREDIA ON BOTTOM/ EX-PRESIDENT ALVARO URIBE APPEARING ON TOP RIGHT CORNER):

“Sentence Alvaro Uribe Velez, identified with citizenship ID number 70041053 from Medellin, to a principal penalty of 144 months in prison, or in other words, 12 years in prison, a fine equivalent to 2,420.5 current legal monthly minimum wages, and disqualification from exercising rights and holding public office as a principal sanction for 100 months and 20 days, as the instigator criminally responsible for the crime of bribery in criminal proceedings in homogeneous concurrence, in heterogeneous concurrence with procedural fraud in homogeneous concurrence, procedural fraud in homogeneous concurrence.”

4. (MUTE) VARIOUS OF SCREENSHOTS OF SENTENCE

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUDGE, SANDRA LILIANA HEREDIA, SAYING (SHOT SHOWS SPLIT SCREEN WITH HEREDIA ON BOTTOM/ EX-PRESIDENT ALVARO URIBE APPEARING ON TOP RIGHT CORNER):

“Third, the court will grant the convicted individual the penal substitute of house arrest as regulated by Article 38B of Law 599 of 2000, under the obligation to comply with the provisions of Article 38B, section four, of Law 599 of 2000, as added by Article 23 of Law 1709 of 2014, subject to a judicial police bond to guarantee compliance with his obligations, or the sum of four current legal monthly minimum wages.”

INTERNET (AUGUST 1, 2025) (SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE – Access all) (MUTE)

6. SCREENSHOT OF POST ON X FROM COLOMBIA EX-PRESIDENT ALVARO URIBE, READING (Spanish): “I often say in my talks on leadership and crisis management that the most challenging crises are those of a personal nature. These personal crises require the support of family, loved ones, friends, and steadfast compatriots who have stood by, as well as those far away but with objective curiosity.

And one must think far more about the solution than the problem. That’s why I’m preparing the arguments to support the appeal for my material defense. And fundamentally, prayer.”

INTERNET (AUGUST 1, 2025) (COLOMBIAN JUSTICE HANDOUT – Access all)

7. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) JUDGE, SANDRA LILIANA HEREDIA, SAYING (SHOT SHOWS SPLIT SCREEN WITH HEREDIA ON BOTTOM/ EX-PRESIDENT ALVARO URIBE APPEARING ON TOP RIGHT CORNER):

“I also understand that one of the sons of the defendant, who did not have the courage to come, accompanied him when he came to make an appearance, but did indeed made publications against me through the media and elsewhere."

URIBE INTERRUPTS: “Madam Judge, I strongly protest this treatment of my sons. You have treated me in the worst way — I have respected that — but I will not accept you interfering with my family.”

HEREDIA REPLIES: “Well, yes, sir, calm down, I am not interfering with your family and I never will.”

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 1, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

8. VARIOUS OF URIBE SUPPORTERS PROTESTING OUTSIDE COURT

9. SIGN READING (Spanish): “How much does justice cost in Colombia?”

10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) URIBE SUPPORTER, WILMER SANCHEZ, SAYING:

“But now that President Uribe has come out to defend us, supported the military forces, recovered the territory and we could travel through the country freely, they want to take him to prison. We disagree with what’s happening. President Alvaro Uribe recovered the country in a moment we had to recover it. Unfortunately, the power was given to criminals, that’s why we’re in this situation.”

11. VARIOUS OF BANNER READING (Spanish): “Alvaro Uribe guilty, sentenced by courts and History”

12. VARIOUS OF IMAGES OF VICTIMS OF CONFLICT HANGING ON FENCE

13. BANNER ON FENCE READING (Spanish): "Uribe to jail"

14. VARIOUS OF URIBE DETRACTORS DEMONSTRATING

15. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) URIBE DETRACTOR, RODRIGO JARAMILLO, SAYING:

"Finally, justice is being served in this country. So that this guy (pays)—he won’t pay like those who get punished for very small things, but at least he’ll be sentenced. I’m happy. I truly believe I can die in peace after this happens. It’s wonderful."

16. VARIOUS OF URIBE SUPPORTERS PROTESTING OUTSIDE COURT

CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 1, 2025) (CENTRO DEMOCRATICO PARTY HANDOUT – Access all)

17. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) CENTRO DEMOCRATICO PARTY SENATOR, MARIA FERNANDA CABAL, SAYING:

"If the court (Superior Court of Bogota, where the sentence will be appealed) has legal integrity, it must overturn that conviction, because it cannot legalize the unlawful. These are illegal pieces of evidence, evidence without a proper chain of custody. What we’ve experienced with the Uribe trial is a monstrosity."

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (AUGUST 1, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all)

18. MEDIA OUTSIDE COURT

19. VARIOUS OF POLICE GUARDING ENTRANCE TO COURT

20. ENTRANCE TO COURT