U.S. Senator Bernie Moreno threatened Colombia regarding the trial against former President Álvaro Uribe, who is accused of procedural fraud and witness bribery.
These threats from the Republican senator come just hours after the U.S. imposed tariffs on Brazil in retaliation for the trial against former President Jair Bolsonaro – a trial the Trump administration calls a “political prosecution.”
US Senator Bernie Moreno threatens Colombia over trial of former President Alvaro Uribe
Following the Trump administration’s unusual decision to impose 50% tariffs on Brazil’s copper exports, Colombia is now the focus. Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, who was born in Colombia, compared the case against former President Uribe with the legal situation facing Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.
Using his official X account, the senator expressed concern about the direction of the judicial case Uribe faces and its implications for the bilateral relationship between Colombia and the United States.
“’Colombia needs to stop using its judicial system as a weapon against former President Álvaro Uribe. It is a very dangerous path for what should be one of the United States’ principal allies in Latin America,’” wrote Moreno.
Colombia needs to stop its own weaponization of its justice system against former President Alvaro Uribe. It’s a very dangerous path for what should be one of America’s top allies in Latin America. https://t.co/8L1yRQcaiT
— Bernie Moreno (@berniemoreno) July 10, 2025
Moreno compared the legal situation of the former Colombian president and leader of the conservative Democratic Center party to that of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro faces criminal charges in his country for his alleged involvement in the January 2023 coup attempt following his electoral defeat.
In his remarks, Senator Moreno – one of the most vocal critics of progressive governments in Latin America – has characterized these judicial proceedings as a “political instrument” used by left-wing governments against their opponents.
According to the senator, this practice poses a risk to institutional stability and the strategic alliance between Washington and its traditional partners in the region.
A historical trial awaiting sentence in Colombia
Alvaro Uribe is awaiting sentencing after months of hearings in his trial for alleged bribery, procedural fraud and witness bribery.
The Colombian prosecution requested, during the closing arguments, the conviction of Uribe, because according to its criteria, the crimes against the former president were accredited, according to which Uribe had given instructions to his then lawyer, Diego Cadena, to contact several detained witnesses, so that they would change their version or testify in favor of the former president.
The sentence in this case will be known next Monday, July 28, in a country, Colombia, which is no stranger to the strong phenomenon of global political polarization.
In addition, the South American country will experience in 2026 a double electoral event, since in March legislative elections will be held to renew the Congress and in May and June, citizens will vote to elect the successor of President Gustavo Petro.
For several months, Colombia has already been experiencing an electoral atmosphere, with many names aspiring to run in the elections and increasing political tension, in a context of violence by illegal armed groups aspiring to influence the elections.
As if this were not enough, the recent declarations of Gustavo Petro questioning the transparency of the elections, due to the predominant role in the scrutiny of the private company Thomas Greg & Sons, with which the Colombian president has a long-standing dispute to withdraw the issuance of passports, adds an extra layer of uncertainty to the complex electoral year ahead.