Colombia top court places ex-President Uribe under house arrest

Supreme Court’s ruling is the first ever in Colombia ordering the detention of a former president. Colombia’s Supreme Court has placed former President Alvaro Uribe under house arrest while a fraud and witness tampering case against him continues. The high court’s unanimous decision published late on Tuesday said magistrates found “possible risks” of obstruction of justice while they continue probing accusations the ex-president had a role in bribing potential witnesses against him. “He will fulfil his detention from his residence,” said Hector Javier Alarcon, president of the Supreme Court chamber handling the case. Half of the country consider him a saviour for the way he successfully fought the rebels during the country’s civil conflict, but the rest of the country instead criticises him for the many human rights violations and cases of corruption that happened during his two administrations, and in particular, the killing of thousands of civilians in extrajudicial killings committed by the army and paramilitary groups.” The news of Uribe’s detention touched off a firestorm in Colombia, with critics and civil rights groups praising the Supreme Court for continuing to pursue the accusations against him in a country where the powerful routinely escape punishment for wrongdoing.