On August 4, the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia ordered senator and former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez (Centro Democrático – ruling party) to be placed under preventive house arrest for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery. This is the first time in the country’s history that such a measure has been imposed on a former president. The news sent shockwaves running through the entire national political spectrum, since Uribe is considered the most influential political figure in the country’s recent history. The former president is expected to remain under house arrest while the Court proceeds to investigate the complaint. 

The reason for his preventive detention lies in a case brought in 2018 by the Supreme Court which summoned the ex-president to give testimony under suspicion of having manipulated witnesses to retract their complaints against him. Given this, the Judiciary chose to restrict his freedom while deepening the investigation until it can define whether it will proceed with the trial or dismiss the case. 

Álvaro Uribe Velez was elected President of the Republic of Colombia for two consecutive terms between 2002 and 2006, and between 2006 and 2010. He was the driving force behind the presidential candidacies of his successors Juan Manuel Santos, who governed the country from 2010 to 2018, and Ivan Duque, who has been in office since 2018. Likewise, Uribe has served as a national senator since 2014 for the Partido Centro Democrático, where he is a relevant figure. 

The news was confirmed by Uribe himself in his Twitter account, who said: “The deprivation of my freedom causes me deep sadness for my wife, my family and for the Colombians who still believe that I have done something good for the country”. For his part, President Ivan Duque supported the former president and assured that “the word honorability is a description of his life.”