A Colombian judge on Monday convicted former President Alvaro Uribe of abuse of process and bribery of a public official in a long-running witness tampering case, making him the country’s first ex-president to ever be found guilty at trial.

Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe has been found guilty of witness tampering and bribery charges in a historic trial that gripped the South American nation and threatened to tarnish the conservative strongman’s legacy.

Mr. Uribe, a towering figure in Colombian politics, was accused of trying to bribe a former paramilitary to retract testimony damaging to him.