Colombia's top court to decide jurisdiction in Uribe paramilitary case today

Colombia's Constitutional Court is set to rule today on which authority should investigate former President Álvaro Uribe over alleged paramilitary links. The full court session, led by magistrate Jorge Enrique Ibáñez, will settle a dispute between the Attorney General's Office and the Chamber of Representatives' Accusation Commission.

Senator Iván Cepeda and several Pacto Histórico members sent a letter to Ibáñez urging that the case remain with the national prosecutor. They argue the alleged events occurred between 1996 and 1998, when Uribe served as governor of Antioquia and not as president of the republic.

“Keeping the case in the Attorney General's Office would help guarantee victims' rights and allow the process to advance within ordinary institutions.”

Cepeda, acting as a popular party in the investigation, says keeping the case in ordinary justice would protect victims' rights and allow the process to advance within regular institutions. The letter was also signed by human rights groups including the Committee of Solidarity with Political Prisoners and the José Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Collective.

The Accusation Commission requested the file on August 26, but the Attorney General's Office refused to hand it over, stating the alleged facts took place before Uribe arrived at the presidential palace. The court's decision will determine whether the investigation stays in ordinary justice or moves to Congress.

The case concerns the creation, promotion and financing of a paramilitary structure operating at the Guacharacas estate, as well as the La Granja and El Aro massacres and the February 1998 murder of human rights defender Jesús María Valle.