President Gustavo Petro speaks out after Álvaro Uribe's conviction: "The former president himself was the one who constructed the strategy for the conviction."

President Gustavo Petro spoke out for the first time after learning of the sentence that former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez will face for procedural fraud and bribery.

"My strategy doesn't include Uribe's conviction, it's Uribe's freedom. The one who constructed the strategy for the conviction of former President Álvaro Uribe was the former president himself, who initiated the process by denouncing Iván Cepeda and then put himself in the hands of the judge by resigning from the Senate," the head of state stated in response to a statement by Tomás Uribe , the former president's son, who accused the head of state of being behind Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia's decision to sentence the former president to 12 years in prison.

On Monday, when the verdict was read and Judge Heredia declared Uribe guilty, President Petro asserted that "it is his responsibility to protect Álvaro Uribe Vélez, his family, and his property, as president, and I will do so." He also said that the judge must be protected.

The Democratic Center's reaction once the judge's decision was leaked to the media was politically motivated.

"Let Colombians and the world know that today an innocent man is being convicted. It's clear that justice has been manipulated for political purposes. It's clear they want to wipe out the opposition," said the director of the party founded in 2013 by the former president.

In fact, the party is calling for a massive national mobilization on August 7 to reject the judge's decision.

"Colombians: this is the cry of millions of our fellow countrymen. We at the Democratic Center respect the institutions and believe in justice, but we are also convinced that today an innocent man is being convicted: President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, the leader who saved Colombia," the group said in a statement.

Meanwhile, voices such as María Fernanda Cabal and Paloma Valencia, senators and presidential candidates, assert that the conviction, which will be appealed, is intended to remove Uribe from political activity ahead of the 2026 elections.

"Is a political coup beginning to materialize to remove him from the electoral race when his popularity is soaring? Just like Miguel was removed with an attack. They say they will place President Uribe under house arrest. If this happens, the political intention to remove him from the campaign is very clear. The political purpose is clear. Uribe has demonstrated his absolute respect for justice; he has always appeared, even the judge has acknowledged this. Uribe does not represent a threat to the "victims," nor is he going to flee; if he had wanted to, he could have done so, nor can he intervene in the decision of the court, especially when it is already in the hands of higher instances and collegiate bodies," said Senator Valencia.

"I want, from afar, with all my heart, to send my condolences to the best president of the last 100 years, Álvaro Uribe Vélez. A president who gave us back prosperity, freedom, and peace. (...) we must make this country once again the great country we lived in. We lost it because it's not possible. Condemning Uribe is condemning his legacy while we have a president who is a pardoned guerrilla," Cabal said.