Bogotá’s Superior Court ordered the immediate release of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez on 19 August, overturning a judge’s directive that had placed him under house arrest earlier this month. The court ruled that Uribe’s fundamental right to personal liberty had been violated and instructed Judge Sandra Liliana Heredia to issue a release order while the case moves to a second instance. Uribe, who led the country from 2002 to 2010, was sentenced on 1 August to 12 years of domiciliary imprisonment after being found guilty of witness bribery and procedural fraud. The conviction marked the first time a Colombian ex-president was found guilty at trial. With the detention measure revoked, Uribe will appeal the verdict in freedom. The Superior Court must decide on the appeal by 16 October; if it fails to do so the case would be archived. The ruling does not annul the conviction, and the underlying charges remain under judicial review.