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BOGOTA, Colombia — An appeals court on Tuesday overturned the conviction of Colombian ex-President Álvaro Uribe for bribery and witness tampering in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman’s legacy.
Uribe, 73, was sentenced to 12 years in house arrest in August following a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s. He has denied any wrongdoing.
The court on Tuesday said the conviction had “structural deficiencies,” used vague premises and lacked comprehensive analysis.
Uribe