Colombian ex-president Uribe defends jailed allies

Colombian ex-president Alvaro Uribe vehemently defended several key allies Tuesday at the Supreme Court after a series of corruption and spying scandals that have been damaging for his Democratic Center party.

Uribe, who asked to appear before the court, held a press conference after his closed-door testimony to say he had presented a "74-point summary report on the injustices committed against civil servants who accompanied me in the government."

The conservative opposition leader, who is now a senator and remains a powerful player in Colombian politics, has been forced onto the defensive by a string of court cases casting a shadow on his 2002-2010 presidency.

His interior and social protection ministers were sentenced last month to six and a half years in prison for bribing lawmakers to pass a constitutional amendment that enabled Uribe to stand for and ultimately win reelection in 2006.

Last week, his intelligence chief was jailed for 14 years for spying on judges, journalists and opposition figures during his presidency. Uribe's former chief of staff got eight years in the same case.

And a computer expert convicted of spying on the peace negotiations that current President Juan Manuel Santos has opened with the leftist FARC guerrillas -- talks that Uribe staunchly opposes -- says he was hired by Uribe's camp and that the former president knew all about his activities.

Uribe, who has immunity from prosecution as a senator, staunchly defended his jailed allies and others caught up in the cases.

"These are honest people, without duplicity in the fight against terrorism, people who never stole a peso, who defended national security. Some are in prison, others are facing the same fate and some are in exile because politics has penetrated the justice system," he said.

The court appearance was focused on the accusations by computer expert Andres Sepulveda, the hacker who claims he was hired to sabotage the peace talks.

He said he was hired by the campaign of Uribe's chosen candidate in the 2014 presidential election, Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, who lost to Santos.

Uribe told journalists Sepulveda had infiltrated the campaign to "halt its victory."

He also used the occasion to defend former interior minister Sabas Pretelt, former social protection minister Diego Palacio, former spy chief Maria del Pilar Hurtado and his ex-chief of staff Bernardo Moreno.

He called on Hurtado and Moreno to tell their full stories and said he would stand trial if need be.

"If I committed any crime, let me be judged, but this vile massacre against them must stop," he said.