Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment and house arrest for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal proceedings. Details in the report by Hernan Tobar.
00:00Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced to 12 years of imprisonment and house arrest for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal proceedings.
00:11More details in the report by our colleague Hernando Bar.
00:16This was the scene outside the court complex before the decision of criminal Judge 44.
00:21Regarding the sentence against former President Uribe was announced.
00:25Not only did supporters of the convicted man arrive here, but also the victims of paramilitary violence and drug trafficking during the Uribe administration, who praised the position taken by both the judge and the prosecutor during this trial.
00:43In a very dark tunnel left behind by drug trafficking injustice and impunity today two women, Prosecutor Marlene Orula and Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia demonstrated the dignity of justice.
00:55Demonstraron la dignidad que tiene la justicia.
01:00En el piso cuarto, al interior de esta sede judicial.
01:03On the fourth floor inside this court building at 2 p.m., the sentencing hearing began with a warning from the judge regarding the leak by one of the sons of the former president
01:11and some media outlets about the amount of the sentence, breaking the commitment to keep it confidential before its public reading.
01:17I understand that some of the children of the defendant, who did not have the courage to come and accompany him here when he appeared in court,
01:35did have the courage to make public statements against the undersigned through the media.
01:38Once this impasse was overcome, the judge proceeded to argue the basis for her decision in a series of evidences that were sufficient to disprove any presumption of innocence in the first instance.
01:55I sentence Uribe to the principal penalty of 144 months in prison, or in other words, 12 years in prison, a fine equivalent to 2,400 minimum legal wages under current legislation,
02:09and disqualification from exercising public rights and functions as the main penalty of 100 months and 20 days,
02:21as the person criminally responsible for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal proceedings.
02:26This decision represents an unprecedented legal milestone for Colombia, given that it involves a right-wing political figure such as the Uribe,
02:41who was president between 2002 and 2010, who claimed that this ruling is political in nature.
02:47However, the victim's lawyers reiterated that no one is above the law.
02:51Insistentemente, el hoy condenado en primera instancia,
02:58Uribe, who was convicted in the first instance,
03:01ha procedido a desatar la matriz contra el poder judicial,
03:09cada vez que un judge, prosecutor, magistrate, lawyer, o victim,
03:14dares to ask for clarification of his numerous criminal actions.
03:17Both the defendant and his defense team requested that the judge grant them a 10-day extension
03:31to file the appeal, when initially it was five days.
03:34This appeal will be filed with the court of Bogota, which will review the ruling in the second instance.
03:39They must ruling before October 16th, when the criminal action against Uribe will be prescribed.
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