Colombian ex-President Uribe sentenced to 12 yrs house arrest for bribery

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced Friday to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy.

The sentence, which Uribe said will be appealed, followed a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s.

Uribe, 73, faced up to 12 years in prison after being convicted on Monday.

He has denied any wrongdoing and characterised the case as political persecution.

Ahead of Friday's sentencing hearing, Uribe posted on X that he was preparing arguments to support his appeal. He added that one must think much more about the solution than the problem during personal crises.

The former president governed from 2002 to 2010 with strong support from the United States. He is a polarising figure in Colombia, where many credit him for saving the country from becoming a failed state, while others associate him with human rights violations and the rise of paramilitary groups in the 1990s.