MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brother of former Colombian President Uribe sentenced to 28 years in jail

Santiago Uribe will appeal the ruling before the Supreme Court

A high court in Colombia on Tuesday sentenced Santiago Uribe Vélez, the brother of former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez (2002-2010), to 28 years and three months in prison, overturning a previous acquittal. The defendant was found guilty of creating and financing the far-right paramilitary group known as 'Los doce apóstoles' (The Twelve Apostles).

The Antioquia High Court’s decision found the cattle rancher criminally accountable for crimes against humanity, aggravated homicide (linked to the 1994 murder of Camilo Barrientos), and aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime.

The court stated that the group, formed in the municipality of Yarumal, Antioquia, was responsible for massacres and other “heinous crimes” committed during its war against left-wing insurgent organizations in the 1990s.

According to the ruling, Uribe Vélez “formed and led an illegal armed group, which from the La Carolina estate... carried out a plan to systematically murder and exterminate people considered undesirable.”

Uribe was sentenced to 340 months in prison and disenfranchised for 20 years. He was also ordered to pay a fine of over 10.5 billion Colombian pesos (around US$2.7 million). He was also denied the possibility of serving his sentence under house arrest.

“I feel deep pain over the conviction of my brother. God help us,” Álvaro Uribe posted on social media.

Leftist Senator and presidential candidate Iván Cepeda, a long-time critic of the Uribe family's alleged paramilitary ties, celebrated the ruling, calling it “Excellent news for the victims, truth, and justice in Colombia.”

Santiago Uribe's defense team announced it would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Justice, stating their belief that “truth and justice will prevail.”

The Uribes were prompted into the fight against terrorism after the murder of their father, Alberto Uribe, on June 14, 1983, by twelve armed men identified as belonging to the 36th Front of the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).

According to Álvaro Uribe, his brother Santiago was severely affected by the attack and was hospitalized for several days, losing one of his fingers.

The legal case against Santiago Uribe centered on his property, Hacienda La Carolina, located in the Llanos de Cuivá sector of Yarumal, Antioquia.

As per the court's ruling, in the early 1990s, the estate became central to illegal activities. Specifically, Santiago Uribe Vélez “formed and led an illegal armed group,” which used the hacienda as a base to carry out “a plan to systematically murder and exterminate people considered undesirable” and alleged supporters of subversive groups.

Los doce apóstoles' victims were civilians and suspected collaborators of leftist guerrillas operating in the northern part of Antioquia between 1993 and 1994.

Although allegations surfaced in 1997, the first investigation into the paramilitary group was opened but later closed in 1999 due to a lack of evidence, only to be reopened later, leading to the current conviction.