The case of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe is gaining international attention

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The historic conviction of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe for witness tampering and fraud is sending shockwaves beyond Colombia's borders, with profound political and legal implications internationally. As the first ex-head of state in the country to be found guilty of a crime, this landmark case challenges entrenched power structures and impunity. Our correspondent hernan tobar with the details.   #Colombia #AlvaroUribe #Justice  #teleSUREnglish

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00:00The conviction of former President Álvaro Uribe, the maximum leader of the right wing

00:04in Colombia, poses a series of challenges in some scenarios at the political and legal

00:07level that also transcend at the international level, corresponding in Antobar with the details.

00:14Once it was known the sense of the ruling by Judge Sandra Heredia condemning the former

00:20President Álvaro Uribe Vélez for the crimes of bribery in criminal proceedings and procedural

00:24fraud, the reactions have been multiple.

00:27For some analysts, it will affect in various areas.

00:33This is going to have an unquestionable political impact, I think it is going to be a momentary

00:38political impact of one or two weeks.

00:40He is still an important politician for Colombia, but he is a politician in decline.

00:45He was important because he was president 20 years ago.

00:48So I think the impact is being overestimated, but obviously the Democratic Center is going

00:53to come out and say they are politically persecuted and victims.

00:57I do not think this is going to last in the long term because they do not have a consolidated

01:01presidential candidate.

01:02It will be a one, two or three week downturn.

01:05The case also descended in the international arena.

01:15The U.S. Secretary of State made a statement rejecting the conviction against the former president.

01:20For specialists, his announcement of support for Uribe not only demonstrates his political

01:24closeness, but also represents a clear interference in Colombia's internal affairs.

01:29The relations between Colombia and the United States are accompanied by what are divergent political

01:38positions.

01:41But in any case it is convenient to maintain relations between the two countries for many

01:46reasons, economic, political, social, but this normality of relations cannot sacrifice

01:51the position of autonomy and sovereignty of the Colombian state.

01:58It is an unacceptable position, an interference that cannot be tolerated, and Colombia must

02:03emphatically reject this intervention of the United States Secretary of State.

02:10the United States Secretary of State.

02:14While human rights organizations expect Uribe to respect the ruling against him and reiterate

02:19that this is not a political trial and will wait until August 1st to hear the sentence

02:24that Judge Sandra Heredia will impose on Alvaro Uribe.

02:27In this regard, the prosecution has requested a sentence of nine years and the place of his

02:31imprisonment will be determined.

02:34The judge herself has outlined the possibility of house arrest.

02:38The defense of the condemned man has already warned that it will appeal the ruling for review

02:42in the second instance.

02:47What we hope in any case is that he does not turn this sentence against him into a court

02:51to continue destroying the institutionality, to continue affecting democratic governance.

02:59I believe it is time for him to retire from public life and take this as a lesson, because

03:04let's remember that this is not a political persecution of President Gustavo Petro.

03:12Let's remember that this started more than 14 years ago when he tried to indict before the

03:16Supreme Court of Justice, Senator Cepeda, for the same crimes for which he has been convicted

03:22today.

03:23After the publication of the sentence, Uribe's defense will have five days to file the appeal

03:34in the second instance.

03:35The appeal must be resolved by the Superior Court of Bogota, which must review the ruling

03:39and make a determination before October 16, when the criminal action against Uribe Vélez

03:44Picon Steinberg.

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