Ex-Colombia President Uribe resigning Senate seat amid probe

[Judi Lynn]

Christine Armario, Associated Press
Updated 6:51 pm CDT, Tuesday, August 18, 2020



Photo: Ivan Valencia, AP

IMAGE 1 OF 3
FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2019 file photo, senator and former president Alvaro Uribe arrives to the Supreme Court for questioning in an investigation for witness tampering charges in Bogota, Colombia. Uribe announced his resignation from the Senate Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020, while he is investigated by the Supreme Court for possible witness tampering in a case that has polarized the nation

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Powerful former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe announced Tuesday that he is resigning his Senate seat, saying his position as a lawmaker has been impeded by a Supreme Court probe into possible witness tampering in a case that has polarized the country.

Uribe posted his resignation letter on Twitter, denouncing the court’s decision to place him under house arrest while the probe advances as a violation of his rights that “eliminates any expectation of being able to return to the Senate.”

“I dream that Colombia can recover from so many difficulties without putting at risk freedom,” he wrote in the page-long missive.

Uribe has not been charged and denies the accusations against him.

The case has divided Colombians and revealed continuing tensions over the country’s historic 2016 peace deal ending Latin America’s longest-running conflict. Ardent supporters view his house arrest as an injustice, noting that most ex-guerrillas are allowed free while testifying about war crimes as part of the accord. His critics and analysts contend the house arrest order shows even the most powerful can be held accountable.

More:
https://www.chron.com/news/article/Ex-Colombia-leader-to-resign-from-Senate-amidst-15493456.php