Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was sentenced by a judge on Friday to 12 years of house arrest for abuse of process and bribery of a public official, in a long-running case over connections to former right-wing paramilitaries.

Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be sentenced to 12 years for abuse of process and bribery of a public official, local media reported on Friday, hours ahead of the hearing where a judge will read his sentence.

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