Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has been given 12 years of house arrest on charges of witness pressure and fraud.
Uribe, 73, became the first former president in the country’s history to be convicted of an offence. He was also banned from holding public office and fined $578,000.
Alvaro Uribe insists he is innocent. In court in Bogota, he said he would appeal his conviction. He said the case was aimed at “destroying the voice of the democratic opposition.”
The politician was president from 2002 to 2010 and remains popular in Colombia despite accusations of collaborating with right-wing paramilitaries to destroy left-wing rebel groups. This allegation he denies.