The man who saved Colombia, condemned by a politicized justice system

Álvaro Uribe Vélez ended his presidency with an 80% approval rating, a figure far higher than that of any president ending a term in office. The "great Colombian," as some call him, not only managed to lead the country to a remarkable economic and security situation, but also achieved what some considered a miracle: saving Colombia from the narco-guerrillas. Fifteen years after leaving the presidency, a politicized justice system, and in the shadows, a government of the extreme left, sentenced him to 12 years in prison for a case without any evidence, where the main witness is a criminal sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Before explaining the most absurd details of the case against Uribe, it is essential to remember what the president did for Colombia, to understand why the left has so much hatred for him. By 2002, Colombia was practically taken over by the FARC guerrillas, who, thanks to drug trafficking, had enough money to finance themselves and take over more and more territories. Uribe secured his election with a promise to attack them with a "firm hand," and indeed he did.

The mission began by recapturing the area around Bogotá and the main cities of the country. At that time, the FARC was on the verge of taking over the capital. Uribe restored security first to the cities and the main highways, which allowed a respite also on the economic side for millions of Colombians who could no longer go out or work. The attack was relentless, employing a combination of different strategies. The region watched in amazement and the "socialism of the XXI century" branded it as "warlike."

A strategy of "decapitation" of the FARC was implemented. The army aimed at capturing or killing the guerrilla leaders, all of them at the same time, so that the organization was left without leadership and did not know how to react. Added to the direct attack was a strategy of rewards for those who handed over top guerrilla commanders. Iván Ríos, the head of the FARC's Central Bloc and a member of the Secretariat, was one of those who fell as a result of the rewards offered by the president; his own security chief killed him.

Uribe also aimed at intercepting FARC communications, preventing them from communicating between commandos and leaders, thus making it impossible to implement their strategies. After two terms in office, the FARC ended up practically cornered in the deep jungle of Colombia or hiding in Venezuela under the protection of Chavismo. Uribe saved the country from being completely taken over by the guerrillas; the most extreme left wing will never forgive him.

But not only did he save the country from the guerrillas, but he did it by achieving an astonishing popularity. Years after leaving the presidency, Uribe continues to influence the votes of millions of Colombians in presidential, congressional, and regional elections. In addition to security, Uribe also gave Colombia economic prosperity and relief to businessmen, generating job creation and a great improvement for the working class.

So Uribe is not the past; he is still the reminder to many that a firm hand against drug trafficking and criminals is necessary, and that a strong business sector is necessary if prosperity is to be achieved. Uribe serves as a daily reminder of the left's destructive nature, which is why he remains an obstacle for them.

The case for which he has been convicted could be a movie. The former president accuses a senator of visiting witnesses in prisons to falsely incriminate him, and a politicized justice system decides to make a 180-degree turn in the case and turn Uribe from plaintiff to defendant. The former president is accused of bribing witnesses in jails to allegedly recant their accusations that he was involved in paramilitary group operations. But the accusation is based on the testimony of Juan Guillermo Monsalve, a criminal who is in prison serving a 44-year sentence.

Monsalve's evidence is recordings of conversations he had with one of former President Uribe's lawyers. Audios that he managed to record from jail with a watch. Who gave him the watch? How did they allow that device to enter the jail? We do not know, and the judge in the case was not interested in the matter. It is clear that if a criminal invites a lawyer to speak and has a device ready to record him, it is because it is a trap.

Former President Uribe was also illegally recorded. The court stated that the recording was made by mistake. There was no warrant, and they intended to intercept someone else's phone, but they ended up with the "wrong" one, belonging to the former president. They still used the recordings as evidence. In any case, beyond the obvious errors and violations of due process, all the recordings presented, including those made to the former president's phone, show no instance where Uribe asks them to lie, modify testimonies, or pay to achieve a lie.

Surely the sentence of 12 years will never become effective because, in the course of the process, the president will manage to prove his innocence, or the case will be terminated by expiration of terms. Still, it is painful to see a man who did so much for the country suffer such humiliations. Colombians must remember why the left hates Uribe so much, and the new generations must look back to understand why Uribe is living this today. No matter the attacks from the left, Uribe is engraved in history as the man who saved the country.