2024-08-29 07:49:37
The Superior Court of Bogotá has decided to reject the request for annulment appealed by former President Uribe’s defense in the case against him for alleged procedural fraud and bribery of witnesses.
Judge Manuel Antonio Merchán, member of the Criminal Decision Chamber, has confirmed in the second instance the decision of the 44th Criminal Circuit Judge with Knowledge Function of Bogotádismissing the request for annulment that had been presented by Uribe’s defense, headed by attorney Jaime Granados.
This request, which sought to annul everything that had been done so far in the process, was rejected outright, closing the door to a legal strategy that the defense had tried to use to discredit the accusations against the former senator and president. Uribe, who holds the unfortunate title of being the first former president of Colombia to face a criminal trialis accused of procedural fraud, bribery and bribery in criminal proceedings, crimes that could lead him to face serious legal consequences.
You may be interested in: Uribe spoke about winning the 2026 elections
The defence’s central argument revolved around alleged irregularities committed by the prosecutor’s representative during the formulation of the accusation. According to Granados, the right to due process had been violated by modifying the “factual core of the accusation”, changing the nature of the charges from eventual intent to direct intent. This change, according to the defence, significantly altered the basis of the case, thus justifying the request for annulment.
However, both the Circuit Judge and the High Court considered that these arguments lacked sufficient grounds to invalidate the process.. With the annulment denial, the court has ordered the immediate continuation of the proceedings, returning the file for the preparatory hearing of the trial to continue. This development means that the parties involved must prepare for the next step in this complex case, which has captured the attention of both the public and political analysts.
Uribe’s case, which began in 2018, has been marked by controversy from the start. He is accused of having tried to manipulate the testimony of former paramilitaries, allegedly to get them to change statements that linked him to paramilitary activities in Antioquia.
You can read: UNP responded to Federico Gutiérrez for reducing his security plan