The Superior Court of Bogota, Colombia, on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of former president Alvaro Uribe as he appealed his recent conviction for witness tampering, for which he had been sentenced to 12 years of house arrest. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “weaponsiation by radical judges”.
Judge Leonel Rogeles Moreno asked “to nullify section four of the ruling issued on August 1, 2025, by the 44th Criminal Court of the Bogotá Circuit, insofar as it ordered the immediate deprivation of liberty of citizen Alvaro Uribe Velez; until the corresponding criminal decision chamber of this Tribunal rules on the appeal filed against that first-instance decision. Consequently, the court in question is ordered to immediately issue a release warrant in favor of the petitioner, within the case file,” Colombiaone quoted the judicial ruling.
Earlier this month, Uribe became the first former president in Colombia’s history to be convicted of a crime, receiving the maximum sentence allowed by law.
He has been released from house arrest following a court ruling on Tuesday that allows him to remain free while he appeals his recent conviction for witness tampering. Uribe had been under house arrest since 1 August at his residence in Rionegro, near Medellín.
The 73-year-old, who governed Colombia from 2002 to 2010 and shaped the country’s political landscape for a generation, was convicted earlier this month for pressuring right-wing paramilitary members to deny their connections to him during the country’s internal armed conflict. He was handed a 12-year sentence, the maximum allowed, marking the first time a Colombian ex-president has been convicted of a crime.
A staunch law-and-order conservative and close US ally, Uribe remains a powerful figure in Colombian politics. Even after leaving office, he continued to influence the country’s right wing and played a significant role in selecting conservative party leaders. He led a fierce crackdown on both drug cartels and the FARC guerrilla movement during his presidency, actions that earned him both strong support and fierce criticism.
Uribe has dismissed the charges as politically motivated, accusing Colombia’s left, now led by President Gustavo Petro, of orchestrating the prosecution. The appeal process is being overseen by the Superior Court in Bogotá, which stated it does not consider Uribe a flight risk. The court has until 16 October to decide whether to uphold or overturn the conviction. If a ruling is not issued by that date, the trial will be annulled and Uribe will be cleared.
The legal battle has deepened political divisions in the country. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned the prosecution, calling it, without providing evidence, a case of “the weaponization of Colombia’s judicial branch by radical judges”.
Meanwhile, Uribe continues to enjoy significant public support; recent polls rank him as Colombia’s most popular political figure.
The case against Uribe dates back to 2018 and has seen multiple efforts to have it dismissed by various attorneys general. However, it gained new momentum under Attorney General Luz Camargo, appointed by President Petro. Camargo oversaw the opening of the trial in May 2024, during which prosecutors called over 90 witnesses. Among them was at least one former paramilitary fighter who testified that Uribe contacted him in an effort to alter his testimony.