Mario de Jesús Uribe Escobar (born 1949) is a Colombian politician and lawyer. Uribe-Escobar graduated in

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

from the Autonomous University of Medellín and the

University of Antioquia The University of Antioquia (), also called UdeA, is primarily a public research-based university, located in the city of Medellín, Colombia. With regional campuses in Amalfi, Andes, Caucasia, Carmen de Viboral, Envigado, Puerto Berrío, S ...

. El Pais: Mario Uribe no pudo eludir a la Fiscalía
/ref>

Political career

He began his political career as councilman of his hometown; the municipality of Andes, Department of Antioquia. Between 1982 and 1986 served as deputy of the Department Assembly of Antioquia and then to the

Chamber of Representatives of Colombia The Chamber of Representatives (Spanish: ''Cámara de Representantes'') is the lower house of the Congress of Colombia. It has 172 members elected to four-year terms. Electoral system According to the Colombian Constitution, the Chamber of ...

in representation of Antioquia, serving from 1986 to 1994, in which he was Vice President of the Chamber between 1990 and 1991 and worked as member and president of the Investigations and Accusations Commission. In 1994 Uribe-Escobar was elected to the

Senate of Colombia The Senate of the Republic of Colombia () is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives. The Senate has 108 members elected for concurrent (non- rotating) four-year terms. Electoral ...

and served until October 2007. Uribe-Escobar quit the Senate after receiving a notification from the

Attorney General of Colombia The Attorney General of Colombia (Attorney General of the Nation) is the head of the Attorney General's Office of the Nation of Colombia and the principal law enforcement official. The attorney general acts as the main head of criminal prosecuti ...

calling him to testify on regards to the Parapolitics scandal. He was President of the

from July 20, 2000 to July 20, 2001. In 2003 Uribe-Escobar participated in the foundation of the

Democratic Colombia Party The Democratic Colombia Party (''Partido Colombia Demócrata'') was a political party in Colombia founded in 2003. After 2006, the small party was decimated by the parapolitics scandal, in which four of its five congressmen were forced to resign ...

which was the base of the former ''Sector Democrático'' movement. Uribe-Escobar was considered one of the most important allies of

President of Colombia The president of Colombia (President of the Republic) is the head of state and head of government of Colombia. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of Colombia, national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Mil ...

and cousin;

Álvaro Uribe Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. H ...

Parapolitics scandal

Alleged meeting with paramilitaries

In relation to the

Colombian parapolitics scandal The Colombian parapolitics scandal (known as parapolítica in Spanish, a portmonteau of '' paramilitar'' and '' política'') refers to the Colombian congressional scandal in which several congressmen and other politicians have been indicted f ...

, Uribe-Escobar was first mentioned by Jairo Castillo Peralta aka "Pitirri" who was a former member of the paramilitary group

United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia The United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (''Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia'', or AUC, in Spanish) were a Colombian far-right paramilitary and drug trafficking group which was an active belligerent in the Colombian armed conflict during the ...

(AUC) and was a personal bodyguard of former politician

Álvaro García Romero Álvaro Alfonso García Romero (Ovejas, February 19, 1951) is a Colombian politician who was a member of the Colombia Democratic Party, and was elected by popular vote to join the Senate and the House of Representatives of Colombia. He was capt ...

also implicated in the scandal for mingling with paramilitaries. From his exile in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, Castillo-Peralta said that Uribe-Escobar had met with AUC top commanders in northern Colombia to negotiate cheaper land in the region of Caucasia and in the

Department of Sucre Sucre () is a department in the Caribbean Region of Colombia. The department ranks 27th by area, and it has a population of 904,863, ranking 20th of all the 32 departments of Colombia. Sucre is bordered by the Caribbean on the northwest; by Bo ...

. Uribe-Escobar responded to this saying that he did not have any land in Caucasia or Sahagún but he did have land of his property between the towns of

Sahagún Sahagún () is a town and municipality of Spain, part of the autonomous community of Castile and León and the province of León. It is the main centre of population in the Leonese part of the Tierra de Campos natural region. Sahagún contains ...

and

Ciénaga de Oro Ciénaga de Oro () meaning "Golden Marsh", is a town and municipality located in the Córdoba Department, northern Colombia. According to 2020 estimates, the population of Ciénaga de Oro was 60,521, with a population density of 94 persons per sq ...

in the

Department of Córdoba Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

which were acquired in 1991.

Testimony of Salvatore Mancuso

Imprisoned AUC paramilitary leader

Salvatore Mancuso Salvatore Mancuso Gómez, also known as "el Mono Mancuso", "Santander Lozada" or "Triple Cero" (i.e. "Triple Zero", or, "000"), among other names (born August 17, 1964 in Montería, Córdoba Department, Córdoba) is a Colombian people, Colombian ...

confessed during a court session that he had met with Uribe-Escobar in two occasions with the purpose of forming a political coalition with then

Senator of Colombia The Senate of the Republic of Colombia () is the upper house of the Congress of Colombia, with the lower house being the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia, Chamber of Representatives. The Senate has 108 members elected for concurrent (non ...

Eleonora Pineda Eleanora or Eleonora may refer to: People * Eleanora (name) * Eleonora, three 17th century Swedish queens consort * Countess Palatine Eleonora Catherine of Zweibrücken (1626–1692), Swedish princess * Eleonora Luisa Gonzaga (1686–1741), Duch ...

for the

2002 Colombian legislative election Parliamentary elections were held in Colombia on 10 March 2002 to elect the Senate and Chamber of Representatives.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II'', p306 The Liberal Party remained the largest party ...

. Mancuso said that he had asked Pineda to introduce him. Pineda was later accepted into the Democratic Colombia Party, but before the

2006 Colombian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Colombia on 28 May 2006. Álvaro Uribe was re-elected as President for another four-year term, starting on 7 August 2006. Uribe obtained 62.35% of the vote, surpassing the 50% needed to avoid a runoff against ...

Pineda was expelled.

Arrest warrant

A Delegated Attorney to the

Supreme Court of Colombia The Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia () in Bogotá is the highest judicial body in civil and penal matters and issues of criminal and civil procedure in Colombia. The court consists of twenty three judges, elected by the same institution i ...

found enough merits and evidence to issue an arrest warrant against Uribe-Escobar without a right to pay a fine. Uribe-Escobar was syndicated of "concert to commit crimes" consisting on agreeing to promote illegal armed groups. He had been accused by the Supreme Court but since Uribe-Escobar had renounced from his post as senator, ordinary justice could put him on trial. Caracol Radio: Tras orden de captura, Mario Uribe busca asilo político
/ref> After receiving the notification Uribe-Escobar announced to the Colombian authorities that he was going to surrender voluntarily and comply with the mandate of the Attorney General of Colombia.

End of penalty

Uribe was set free of prison on November 15, 2012. He spent 54 months in jail.

Asylum petition

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uribe Escobar, Mario 1949 births Living people People from Antioquia Department Members of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia Members of the Senate of Colombia Presidents of the Senate of Colombia Colombian parapolitics scandal Colombian prisoners and detainees 20th-century Colombian lawyers Colombian Liberal Party politicians Democratic Colombia Party politicians University of Antioquia people Colombian politicians convicted of crimes