Álvaro Uribe resigns from the Colombian Senate 3:08
(CNN Spanish) - With a letter posted on Twitter, former President Álvaro Uribe resigned his seat as senator from Colombia on Tuesday. The resignation is known days after the house arrest issued by the Supreme Court of Justice became effective, in the middle of the investigation that is being followed for alleged procedural fraud and bribery of witnesses.
In his letter to the president of the Senate, Uribe argues the reasons for the resignation. «The security measure with home detention, with the violation of eight procedural guarantees, with illegal and malicious interceptions (...) nullify any expectation of being able to return to the Senate, an institution in which I tried to be fulfilled and contribute with study to the different issues. I hope that Colombia recovers from so many difficulties without putting liberties at risk, with democratic security and the elimination of narco-terrorism, "says a fragment of the letter.
MIRA: The case against Álvaro Uribe: the keys to understanding what the Supreme Court accuses him of
The Investigation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice is waiting to receive formal notification of Uribe's resignation by Congress, a decision that entails the loss of jurisdiction as a congressman. When consulted by CNN, the high court reported that “the course of the investigation continues, since Álvaro Uribe is being investigated for facts and conduct during his duties as senator. If in the course of the investigation, the Court decides that the facts do not have to do with its functions, the investigation is referred to the Prosecutor's Office, but if it has a causal link, it remains in Court.
After hearing the news of the resignation, the Colombian opposition senator Iván Cepeda, counterpart of the process that is being followed by the former president, assured “that Uribe resigns from the Senate does not imply under any circumstances that the Supreme Court of Justice loses its competence to advance in the investigation and call him to trial. Uribe, in his capacity as a senator, used members of his legislative work unit to contact different prisoners in the country's prisons, paramilitaries, to testify against me. Likewise, as a senator, he carried out an entire activity around a debate that I did in the Senate and also another debate that I did in the House of Representatives. "
Uribe - who is located at his El Ubérrimo farm in the department of Córdoba, in the northeast of the country - is supervised by officials of the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute of Colombia, as a measure instituted by the judicial authority while he appears before the Court.
President Iván Duque reacted to the request to resign. “I had the great honor of working with @AlvaroUribeVel in the Senate. I am a witness of his love for Colombia, his dedication to the most vulnerable and his commitment to building a better country. With his resignation, one of the best legislators loses Congress, but his legacy will be indelible, "the president wrote on Twitter.
About the case
Álvaro Uribe Vélez is the first former president of Colombia to face a deprivation of liberty order.
The Investigation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice imposed house arrest on August 4, within an investigation for alleged bribery and procedural fraud, accusations that the former president has always denied.
The measure does not constitute a judgment of the Supreme Court, but rather it is an action in the middle of the process that Uribe faces. In a statement, the president of the Special Chamber of the Court confirmed that the decision was made on the grounds that there are risks of obstruction of justice.
It all started in 2014, in a debate in Congress in which the senator of the Democratic Pole, Iván Cepeda accused Uribe of being involved in the emergence of paramilitary groups and presented a series of testimonies. A statement that Uribe not only denied, but also responded with a lawsuit before the Supreme Court in which he asked to investigate Cepeda for alleged manipulation of witnesses.
During the investigation, the high court exonerated Cepeda and opened a formal process against Uribe for the same allegations.
Alvaro Uribe