Colombia’s still-powerful former president Álvaro Uribe has been sentence to 12 years of house arrest, capping a long and contentious career that defined the country’s politics for a generation.

Uribe, aged 73, received the maximum possible sentence after being found guilty of witness tampering, a legal source told AFP.

The lengthy house arrest, which is due to be publicly announced on Friday, marks the first time in Colombia’s history that a former president has been convicted of a crime and sentenced.

Uribe led Colombia from 2002 to 2010 and helmed a relentless military campaign against drug cartels and the Farc guerrilla army.

He remains popular in Colombia, despite being accused by critics of