Uribe Given House Arrest in Colombia Witness-Tampering Probe

(Bloomberg) -- Alvaro Uribe, the most powerful leader in Colombia’s recent history, was placed under house arrest while he’s investigated over an alleged plot to bribe jailed mobsters.

The Supreme Court is investigating the former president over accusations that he tried to manipulate witnesses and frame one of his political opponents.

The magistrates hearing the case voted unanimously for the measure, the court said in a statement released on Twitter. The case is ongoing, and Uribe hasn’t been convicted.

The news sent shock waves though a nation in which many regard Uribe as a hero who saved Colombia from becoming a failed state, while others see him as an authoritarian who’s a threat to democracy.

Prosecutors accuse Uribe of employing intermediaries to manipulate former members of illegal militias into changing their testimonies against him and to instead smear an opposition senator.

The investigation began after people linked to Uribe were recorded apparently trying to pressure a jailed former member of a death squad into changing his testimony. The witness, Juan Guillermo Monsalve, said Uribe and his brother Santiago Uribe were involved in setting up an illegal militia in the 1990s.

Uribe says that Monsalve and other witnesses were bribed by opposition Senator Ivan Cepeda to falsely accuse him. Cepeda visited former paramilitaries in jail while building a case against Uribe. He has described Uribe’s allegations as a smokescreen.

“This is a decision that helps consolidate democracy in Colombia,” Cepeda said in a press conference after the ruling. “No one in Colombia is above justice and the law however powerful and influential they are.”

Uribe’s supporters, including President Ivan Duque, reiterated their belief in his innocence, and contrasted his treatment with that of former guerrilla leaders who now have seats in congress following the 2016 peace accord.

“As a Colombian, it pains me that many who have hurt the country with their barbarism defend themselves in freedom, or even have guarantees against ever going to prison, while an exemplary public servant isn’t allowed to defend himself in freedom, with the presumption of innocence,” Duque said in a speech.

The Supreme Court’s press office didn’t immediately reply to a message seeking comment.

Uribe led the country from 2002 to 2010, taking a hard line against the nation’s Marxist guerrillas. His influence became so great that he was able to handpick the next two presidents, Juan Manuel Santos -- who later split with him -- and Duque.

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