International

The Colombian Prosecutor’s Office will bring former President Álvaro Uribe to trial for bribery of witnesses

A Colombian prosecutor filed an accusation on Tuesday against former President Álvaro Uribe “as an alleged determiner of the crimes of bribery of witnesses in criminal proceedings and procedural fraud,” which indicates that he will be called to trial, the Prosecutor’s Office reported.

The accusation was presented by the first prosecutor delegated to the Supreme Court of Justice Gilberto Villareal, who took over the case on January 16.

This case dates back to 2012 when Uribe sued Iván Cepeda, senator of the left-wing Party Polo Democrático Alternativo (PDA), who at that time was preparing a complaint in Congress against him for alleged ties to paramilitarism, for alleged ties.

However, the Supreme Court of Justice decided not to open an investigation against the congressman and, instead, initiated a lawsuit against the former president for manipulation of witnesses.

According to sources of the Prosecutor’s Office, from the physical evidence and evidence, it was concluded that there were reasons to accuse Uribe, who was president of Colombia between 2002 and 2010.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“The decision of the delegated prosecutor was adopted after two requests for pre-exclusion from different prosecutors that were rejected by the criminal judges of the competent circuit,” the first in April 2022 and the second in May 2023.

The Prosecutor’s Office added that once the judicial distribution process is completed, “the hearing to formalize the accusation will be held, on the date and time set by the judiciary.”

Upon assuming the case, prosecutor Villarreal had 90 days to file the accusation against Uribe, a deadline that will be met on April 15.

The accusation of bribery in criminal proceedings has to do with the alleged payment of bribes to Carlos Enrique Vélez and Juan Guillermo Monsalve, who are imprisoned in the prisons of Palmira and La Picota in Bogotá, respectively, as well as a woman identified as Eurídice Cortés, to benefit the former president with his statements.

While the procedural fraud involves all the irregularities of the case.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Despite the accusation, Uribe will be able to respond to the process in freedom since that is usual in all cases and the deprivation of liberty is an exceptional measure, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

Left-wing senator Iván Cepeda, recognized as a victim in the process against Álvaro Uribe for bribery of witnesses and procedural fraud, assured on Tuesday that the decision of the Prosecutor’s Office to call the former president to trial is “fair.”

“Today comes to the end a decision that we consider to be fair,” Cepeda told journalists, also assuring that former President Uribe “has the full right to due process, to defense, but also we have the truth and justice to prevail.”

International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.