The Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice rejected as inadmissible the extraordinary appeal for cassation filed by the defense of Santiago Uribe Vélez, brother of former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, in a new judicial chapter related to the case regarding his alleged participation in the paramilitary group known as “The Twelve Apostles”.
The decision put an end to one of the last avenues of appeal that had been promoted by Uribe Vélez’s defense against the sentence issued within the criminal proceedings. With this, the high court concluded that the appeal did not meet the necessary conditions to be studied on its merits.
In the document, the corporation recalled that the legal discussion regarding the case had already gone through the mechanisms provided within the judicial system and that the guarantee of double conformity had been ensured during the process.
As stated by the Chamber, the ruling that was now intended to be challenged was issued within the powers assigned to it by law as the final court of the ordinary criminal jurisdiction. The high court pointed out that this action allowed for “ensuring the protection of the fundamental guarantee of double conformity for SANTIAGO URIBE VÉLEZ, thus concluding any procedural discussion that, within the framework of that jurisdictional action, could have arisen (sic).”
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The high court closed one of the last possibilities for appeal within the criminal proceedings for the “The Twelve Apostles” case – credit Luisa González/Reuters
The Court was also emphatic in indicating that there were no legal grounds to open a new examination of a decision that had already been subject to review within the established procedures. For that reason, the Chamber concluded that the extraordinary appeal for cassation was manifestly inadmissible.
The document adds that the decision cannot be subject to a new appeal within that judicial instance. Expressly, the Court indicated that “No motion for reconsideration may be filed against this decision”.
The decision was recorded in the operative part of the ruling, where the Court adopted a direct determination regarding the request submitted by the defense.
“REJECT as inadmissible the extraordinary appeal for cassation filed by SANTIAGO URIBE VÉLEZ and his defense attorney, against judgment SP499-2026 of June 3, 2026 (sic)”, indicated the Criminal Cassation Chamber. The document adds that the decision cannot be subject to a new appeal within that judicial instance, for which reason the high court expressly stated that “no motion for reconsideration lies against this decision”.
The high court pointed out that the challenged ruling against Santiago Vélez was issued within its powers as the final authority of the ordinary jurisdiction – credit Europa Press
After more than three decades of investigations, testimonies, acquittals, and appeals, the Colombian justice system has closed one of the most sensitive files related to paramilitarism in the country. The Supreme Court of Justice confirmed in the final instance the conviction against Santiago Uribe Vélez, brother of former President Álvaro Uribe Vélez, for his responsibility in the case of the illegal armed group known as “The Twelve Apostles”.
The decision upholds a sentence of 28 years and 3 months in prison for the crimes of aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime and aggravated homicide. With this ruling, the highest court of the ordinary jurisdiction put an end to a legal battle that lasted for more than 30 years and was marked by political and legal controversies.
The participation attributed to Santiago Uribe with paramilitary structures in Antioquia
According to the investigation, the group carried out a series of targeted killings against people who were accused of having ties or sympathies with guerrilla organizations. For the justice system, these actions were part of a systematic strategy of persecution and extermination in the region.
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Precisely for that reason, the high court maintained the consideration that the investigated facts constitute crimes against humanity, a classification that prevented the case from prescribing despite the passage of years. The judicial process had multiple turns and, although the first investigations emerged in 1995, the file was archived in 1999 due to a lack of sufficient evidence; for more than a decade the case remained practically frozen.
The Supreme Court upheld a sentence of 28 years and 3 months in prison for aggravated conspiracy to commit a crime and aggravated homicide – credit Colprensa/Verdad Abierta
The investigation regained momentum in 2010 following statements by retired Police Major Juan Carlos Meneses, who claimed that Santiago Uribe was one of the organization’s leaders and that the La Carolina estate had been used as the group’s operations center.
The statements reactivated the investigations and led the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation to order the arrest of Santiago Uribe in 2016. The rancher remained deprived of his liberty for nearly two years, until he regained his freedom due to the expiration of terms while the trial continued.
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When it seemed that the process was coming to an end, a specialized court in Medellin surprised everyone in November 2024 by acquitting him in the first instance. The office considered that doubts persisted regarding some key testimonies used by the prosecution; however, the decision was appealed by the Prosecutor’s Office, the Inspector General’s Office, and the victims’ representatives. The case of Santiago Uribe Velez is related to the investigations into the paramilitary group “The Twelve Apostles,” a structure accused of operating in northern Antioquia during the nineties – credit Colprensa
A year later, the Superior Court of Antioquia completely overturned the acquittal, concluded that there was sufficient evidence to prove his responsibility, and sentenced him to more than 28 years in prison. The specific act of homicide that supported the conviction corresponds to the murder of Camilo Barrientos, an intermunicipal transport driver murdered in Yarumal in 1994.
