Colombia Court Probes Lawmakers Over Uribe Case
POLITICS · COLOMBIA
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, where a House commission investigates presidents for acts in office and the Supreme Court investigates members of Congress.
- —What happened A Supreme Court magistrate opened a preliminary inquiry into the lawmakers who sought Uribe’s massacre case, Cuestión Pública reported on 2 October. The complaint was filed on 3 September.
- —Who is involved Magistrate César Augusto Reyes, whose term ends on 8 October; the House commission; prosecutors; and the Constitutional Court, which holds 2,322 pages on the dispute (as of 1 October).
- —What it means for you Nothing changes in daily life. The question is which body will investigate a former president over the deaths of civilians in the 1990s.
- —Still open No second outlet has confirmed the inquiry. The Constitutional Court has not yet ruled on who keeps the Uribe case.
Colombia’s Supreme Court has opened a preliminary inquiry into members of the House Accusation Commission, Cuestión Pública reported on 2 October. The lawmakers had tried to take over a criminal case against former president Álvaro Uribe over killings in the 1990s.
The investigative outlet said the inquiry follows a citizen’s complaint filed on 3 September. No other outlet had reported the step by Saturday morning, so it is not independently confirmed.
What the Report Says
According to Cuestión Pública, a citizen named Omar Alberto Franco Becerra accused the lawmakers of prevaricato por acción. That is the Colombian offence of knowingly issuing a decision that is contrary to law.
The complaint was assigned to Magistrate César Augusto Reyes, who opened an indagación previa. This preliminary inquiry only checks whether the facts occurred and whether they could amount to a crime.
The outlet did not report that any lawmaker has been charged or formally named a suspect. It also did not say how many commission members the inquiry covers.
Reyes sits on the Supreme Court’s investigating chamber, which handles cases against members of Congress. He led the witness-tampering investigation in which the court placed Uribe under house arrest in 2020.
Why the Lawmakers Wanted the Case
Prosecutors are investigating Uribe over the paramilitary massacres at La Granja in 1996 and El Aro in 1997. The case also covers the 1998 murder of human rights lawyer Jesús María Valle.
Uribe, governor of Antioquia at the time, has consistently said he is innocent in the cases against him. The Supreme Court sent the investigation to prosecutors in 2020 after he gave up his Senate seat.
In August the Accusation Commission, the House body that investigates presidents, agreed unanimously to claim the case. Caracol Radio reported on 26 August that it acted on a request from Uribe’s lawyer, Jaime Granados.
The commission argued that the alleged paramilitary conspiracy ran on into Uribe’s presidency, which began in 2002. On 28 August prosecutors refused, saying the events fell in his time as governor.
The Constitutional Court Now Decides
The clash went to the Constitutional Court, which settles disputes over jurisdiction. Magistrate Jorge Enrique Ibáñez Najar is drafting the ruling for the full court.
Infobae, Blu Radio and La FM reported on 1 October that the Accusation Commission had sent the court 2,322 pages of records. Semana reported that the court had first had to order the commission to hand them over.
The court’s president, Paola Andrea Meneses, told Caracol Radio on 25 September that such disputes are routine. The full court will vote once Ibáñez presents his draft.
Uribe’s party has had a turbulent fortnight, including Colombia’s Cabal Quits Uribe’s Party After 12 Years. The former president also stayed in the headlines with Uribe Attacks Colombia Peace Deal as No Vote Turns 10.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known which lawmakers the inquiry names or when it was opened. No statement on it from the Supreme Court or the commission had been published by Saturday morning.
Reyes’ eight-year term ends on 8 October, El Espectador reported. His office passes to Susana Quiroz Hernández, elected on 17 September, who may keep, widen or close the inquiry.
There is also no date for the Constitutional Court’s ruling. Until it rules, prosecutors keep the Uribe file, and the lawmakers face only a preliminary check.
Sources: Cuestión Pública, 2 October 2026; Caracol Radio, 26 August 2026; Caracol Radio, 25 September 2026; Semana, 29 September 2026; Infobae, 1 October 2026; Blu Radio, 1 October 2026; La FM, 1 October 2026; Asuntos Legales, 1 October 2026; El Espectador, 17 September 2026; Supreme Court of Justice, 17 September 2026; El Tiempo, 23 January 2023.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error