The soap opera surrounding the trial against former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez has a new chapter and a dramatic twist, prompted by a direct order from the Superior Court of Bogotá to Judge Sandra Heredia. From this entity, they ordered the immediate release of former president Uribe, arguing “the protection of the fundamental right to individual freedom of citizen Álvaro Uribe Vélez.”
PUBLICIDAD
After an appeal filed by the defense of former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez, which was submitted after the ruling against him was known and after Judge Sandra Heredia sentenced him to 12 years in prison and to serve house arrest immediately while the second instance is processed; the Superior Court of Bogotá published its decision.
PUBLICIDAD
In the ruling published, they ensure that in seeking to protect the fundamental right of individual freedom of citizen Álvaro Uribe Vélez, they order the immediate release of the former president. According to them, it is not necessary for the convicted individual to wait for the decision of their appeal process under house arrest.
In addition to this, the Bogotá Court ordered Judge Sandra Heredia to immediately issue the release warrant in favor of former president Álvaro Uribe, who had been under house arrest since the day his sentence was announced.
The Prosecutor’s Office requested that the sentence against Uribe be revoked
As it was learned, the Attorney General’s Office is requesting the Superior Court of Bogotá to “revoke the First Instance Sentence issued by the 44th Criminal Court of the Bogotá Circuit, with a Knowledge function, in the aspects that were subject to disagreement.”
The Public Prosecutor’s Office asserts that in the ruling issued by Judge Sandra Heredia, there is no clear “convincing evidence that disproves the presumption of innocence of former president Álvaro Uribe.” Likewise, they strongly questioned the evidence with which the former president was ultimately declared guilty.
In addition, the Attorney General’s Office assured that "it was not established beyond a reasonable doubt that former president Álvaro Uribe Vélez had the level of knowledge required to attribute him the alleged responsibility as the mastermind behind each of the accused events."