"The criminal case against Alvaro Uribe Velez, the first former president of Colombia to be criminally convicted in more than half a century, has been resolved on appeal in record time. The Bogota Superior Tribunal has acquitted the right-wing leader in a case that has shaken Colombian politics with its twists and turns over 13 years. On August 1, a judge sentenced the former president to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and procedural fraud, to be served immediately at his home."
"Uribe was released 20 days later when the same Superior Court annulled that order. Now, a three-judge panel has acquitted him of bribery and procedural fraud charges. On Tuesday morning, Uribe attended the hearing for the reading of a summary of the appellate ruling, in which the judges reviewed, one by one, the five incidents for which he was convicted in the first instance."
"The review began with the three bribery cases: that of former paramilitary Carlos Enrique Velez, known as Victor; the testimony of Euridice Cortes, alias Diana; and the statement of Juan Guillermo Monsalve. In all three cases, the court found the testimonies contained inconsistencies and contradictions. The mere existence of a gift is not enough; illicit intent must be proven, read Judge Manuel Merchan in the Monsalve case."
Alvaro Uribe Velez was acquitted on appeal by the Bogota Superior Tribunal of bribery and procedural fraud charges after a rapid appellate review. A prior August 1 ruling had sentenced him to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and procedural fraud, and the sentence was briefly in effect before being annulled twenty days later. The appellate panel reviewed five incidents including three bribery allegations tied to witnesses Carlos Enrique Velez, Euridice Cortes, and Juan Guillermo Monsalve, finding inconsistencies and contradictions in their testimonies. The court ruled that gifts alone do not prove illicit intent and criticized earlier evidentiary evaluation as introducing unrelated facts.
Read at english.elpais.com
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