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Former Colombian president slams move to make him stand trial: ‘political vengeance’

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Colombia’s influential former President Álvaro Uribe on Wednesday denounced as «political vengeance» a move by national prosecutors to bring him to trial in a case of witness tampering that has shadowed his legacy.

Uribe insisted in a video message that there was no evidence against him, a day after prosecutors announced their intention to formally charge Uribe with bribery of witnesses in criminal proceedings and procedural fraud.

That would make Uribe the first former president to face trial in Colombia.

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The case against Uribe derives from allegations made a decade ago by an opposition senator that Uribe was tied to the creation of a paramilitary group. The former president was accused of bribing former paramilitaries to change their testimonies.

Álvaro Uribe

Senator and former president Álvaro Uribe arrives to the Supreme Court for questioning in an investigation for witness tampering charges in Bogotá, Colombia, Oct. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Ivan Valencia, File)

Uribe accused the senator of slander, but that case was dismissed, and the Supreme Court instead opened a criminal case against Uribe on allegations of manipulating witnesses.

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«This trial is being carried out due to political presumptions, personal animosities, political vengeance, without evidence to infer that I was trying to bribe witnesses or deceive justice,» said Uribe, who served as president from 2002 to 2010.

Uribe was under house arrest in the case for two months in 2020.

Uribe could face up to 12 years in prison on the charge of bribing witnesses and eight years in prison on the charge of procedural fraud.

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Under previous administrations, Colombian prosecutors tried twice to close the case after saying they had failed to find «criminal responsibility of the defendant.» Those requests were rejected by criminal judges.

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Robert Levinson disappearance: FBI releases posters seeking info on two Iranian intelligence officers

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The FBI released posters Tuesday seeking information about two senior Iranian intelligence officers involved in the disappearance of retired FBI Special Agent Robert Levinson as the agency is vowing to «hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable.» 

Levinson was working as a private investigator when he vanished in 2007 after traveling to Iran’s Kish Island. He had reportedly taken part in an unauthorized CIA mission and was presumed dead in 2020. 

«The FBI remains steadfast in our commitment to return Bob to his family,» Sanjay Virmani, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterterrorism Division, said in a statement. «Our extensive investigation continues to develop new leads and intelligence, and we will pursue all options to hold every Iranian official involved in his abduction accountable.» 

The FBI said the two Iranian officers in the posters – Mohammed Baseri and Ahmad Khazai — «allegedly acted in their capacity as officials of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security during Bob’s abduction, detention, and probable death.» 

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Mohammad Baseri, left, and Ahmad Khazai. The FBI is seeking more information about both Iranian intelligence officers, who they allege played a role in the disappearance of American Robert Levinson. (FBI)

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«For nearly 18 years, the Iranian government has denied knowledge of Bob’s whereabouts despite senior intelligence officials authorizing Bob’s abduction and detention and launching a disinformation campaign to deflect blame from the Iranian regime,» the FBI added. 

The Treasury Department sanctioned both officers in December 2020. 

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Robert Levinson 2011 image

The FBI said it received this image of Robert Levinson in April 2011, four years after his disappearance. (FBI)

«According to the designation, Baseri has been involved in counterespionage activities inside and outside Iran, as well as sensitive investigations related to Iranian national security issues. He has worked directly with intelligence officials from other countries to harm U.S. interests,» the FBI said. «Khazai has led MOIS delegations to other countries to assess security situations.» 

Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai seeking information posters

The FBI released seeking information posters Tuesday regarding Mohammad Baseri and Ahmad Khazai. (FBI)

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A $5 million reward is still being offered by the FBI for information leading to Levinson’s location, recovery and return. 

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