A Colombian appeals court has ordered the immediate release of former President Álvaro Uribe from house arrest, less than three weeks after he was sentenced to 12 years for bribery and witness tampering. The decision allows the influential ex-leader to remain free while he appeals the conviction, which accused him of pressuring witnesses to deny his ties to right-wing paramilitary groups in the 1990s.
Uribe, who led Colombia from 2002 to 2010, had become the first former president convicted in a criminal case. On X, he thanked God and his supporters, vowing to dedicate his freedom “to the freedom of Colombia.” The appeals court has until October 16 to either confirm or overturn the verdict; if it fails to rule by then, the case will be dismissed.
