Colombia’s top court overturned former President Alvaro Uribe’s convictions for fraud and bribery, citing “structural deficiencies” and insufficient evidence. The decision opens the door for further appeals in the high-profile case.

Bogotá

A Colombian appeals court has overturned the conviction of former president Alvaro Uribe, with two out of three judges finding that the original trial suffered from significant structural deficiencies. The court highlighted that key evidence, including phone recordings, was either weak or obtained illegally. The case, which has sharply divided public opinion in Colombia, centered on allegations that Uribe attempted to bribe former paramilitaries to change their testimony linking him to paramilitary activities. Following the court's decision, Uribe has maintained that he was a victim of political persecution and is expected to re-enter the political arena, including a potential run for the Senate and support for his political allies.

Colombia court quashes former president Uribe’s conviction

It's a huge reversal in what's been called here the trial of the century. Two of the three judges of the appeal courts here in Bogota have decided to overturn the conviction of former president Alvaro Uribe, saying that the original trial had some serious structural deficiencies. In particular, they said that the evidence was either weak or was obtained illegally. And in particular, key evidence, phone recordings in which the former president was talking to one of his lawyer and allegedly telling him to move forward with a plan to bribe former paramilitaries in changing their testimony that linked Uribe to the activities of paramilitaries. Now, Uribe has said that he's been a victim of political persecutions for a year in a trial that has divided Colombians. There will also be political repercussion with former president Uribe going back to the campaign trail. He's expected to run back to for an office in the Senate in the next election campaign and also campaign for his allies that are hoping to move the country back to the right in the next presidential elections. Alessandro Rampietti, Al Jazeera, Bogota.

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