BOGOTA, Aug 20, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A court in Colombia on Tuesday ordered the immediate release of former president Alvaro Uribe while he appeals a witness tampering conviction for which he was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest.

The sentence announced early this month marked the first time in Colombia's history that a former president has been convicted of a crime. He received the longest possible prison term.

Uribe, who led Colombia from 2002 to 2010 and defined domestic politics for a generation, was found guilty of asking right-wing paramilitaries to lie about their alleged links to him as they committed atrocities while fighting leftist rebels.

A law-and-order hardliner, Uribe was a close ally of the United States and retains ties to the American right.

The 73-year-old has been under house arrest since August 1 in his home in Rionegro, near his hometown of Medellin.

He appealed the conviction, arguing that the trial was politically motivated and instigated by Colombia's left, now led by President Gustavo Petro.

Tuesday's decision by the Superior Court in Bogota means Uribe can move around freely while his appeal is considered. The court said it does not consider him a flight risk.

The court has until October 16 to uphold or overturn Uribe's conviction. If it misses the deadline, the trial is annulled and Uribe will go free.

"Thanks to God, thanks to so many fellow Colombians for their expressions of solidarity," Uribe wrote on X. "I will dedicate every minute of my freedom to the freedom of Colombia."

Uribe, who remains highly popular and influential among conservatives, led a relentless military campaign against drug cartels and the FARC guerrilla army while president.

And he still wields considerable power over conservative politics in Colombia, playing kingmaker in the selection of new party leaders.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has decried Uribe's prosecution, claiming, without providing evidence, that it represented "the weaponization of Colombia's judicial branch by radical judges."

Recent opinion polls revealed him to be the South American country's best-loved politician.

The investigation against Uribe began in 2018 and had numerous twists and turns, with several attorneys general seeking to close the case.

It gained new impetus under Attorney General Luz Camargo, picked by Petro -- himself a former guerrilla and a political arch-foe of Uribe.

More than 90 witnesses testified in the trial, which opened in May 2024.

During the trial, prosecutors produced evidence of at least one ex-paramilitary fighter who said he was contacted by Uribe to change his story.