The Supreme Court overturned the conviction and confirmed Álvaro Uribe's innocence.

Álvaro Uribe Vélez was acquitted by the Superior Court of Bogotá of all charges against him on Tuesday morning. With this decision, the appellate court confirmed the innocence of the former Colombian president.  

Thus, the highest court determined that one of the key aspects of the case—the wiretapping of conversations that the former president had with his personal attorney, Diego Carena—lacked legality. The first-instance conviction of Uribe for procedural fraud had been based on these wiretaps, which violate constitutional rights. 

Uribe received an equally favorable opinion when the Court also decided to acquit him of the crime of witness bribery, in a case that linked the former president to former paramilitary Carlos Enrique Vélez. The sentence that had been given to Uribe for these two crimes was twelve years of house arrest. 

 

Petro regrets that lawfare did not work

"Regarding the content of the letters and the defendant's actions, it was proven that Álvaro Uribe Vélez provided information about 'el cubano' and that his instructions were in accordance with the constitutional right to provide information for his defense," reads part of the ruling. 

"The contents of the letters and communication mechanisms to falsify statements and participation in artifices were not demonstrated. In conclusion, the absence of falsehood and suitable artifice prevents the configuration of the criminal offense of procedural fraud to overturn the sentence," it continues. 

The annulment of Uribe's conviction brought the current president of Colombia to tears, the communist Gustavo Petro, who on his social media spoke of a "paramilitary governance in Colombia" allied with drug trafficking and responsible for unleashing "a genocide in Colombia." 

"This is how the history of paramilitary governance in Colombia is covered up, that is, the history of politicians who came to power allied with drug trafficking and who unleashed the genocide in Colombia," said Petro. 

On social media, Álvaro Uribe Vélez himself expressed his satisfaction with the court's decision that ultimately made him free of all charges, sharing the good news with a message and a photograph alluding to the day.