(MENAFN) Ex-Colombian head of state Alvaro Uribe Velez, known for his conservative leadership, has been handed a 12-year term of house detention, as declared on Friday by Judge Sandra Heredia.

In addition to the confinement, Uribe has been banned from assuming any public office for eight years and ordered to pay a financial penalty.

At 73 years old, Uribe was given the harshest possible punishment after being declared culpable of "witness tampering" and "procedural fraud."

This verdict represents an unprecedented development, marking the initial instance in which a former Colombian leader has been officially convicted and sentenced.

Uribe has persistently claimed he is not guilty during the entirety of the legal proceedings.

His legal representatives stated their intention to challenge the ruling.

Should the Superior Court of Bogota uphold Judge Heredia’s decision, the legal matter may progress to the Supreme Court of Justice, where the case originally started.

The investigation began over a decade ago, sparked by a political dispute in Congress involving Uribe and Senator Ivan Cepeda, a member of the ruling coalition.

Cepeda hinted at Uribe's suspected associations with far-right paramilitary organizations in Colombia.

In retaliation, Uribe filed a complaint against Cepeda with the Supreme Court of Justice, accusing the senator of improperly obtaining statements from jailed ex-paramilitary members in an attempt to associate him with outlawed militias.

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