Court overturns conviction of Colombian ex-president Álvaro Uribe

Historic case over bribery and witness tampering has gripped nation and soured conservative strongman's legacy

An appeals court has overturned the conviction of former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe for bribery and witness tampering in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy.

Uribe, 73, has denied any wrongdoing. He was sentenced to 12 years of house arrest in August following a nearly six-month trial in which prosecutors presented evidence that he attempted to influence witnesses who accused the law-and-order leader of having links to a paramilitary group in the 1990s.