Former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is expected to appear on Monday to testify before the general prosecutor’s office if, when and what he knew about a massacre committed in 1997 by far-right paramilitaries in the prefecture of which he was governor, the justice announced Thursday.

In October 1997, about 150 far-right paramilitaries murdered at least 15 residents of the village of El Aro, in Antioquia Prefecture, where Mr. Uribe was governor from 1995 to 1997.

Last week, during a hearing of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, JEP), once-feared far-right paramilitary leader Salvatore Mancuso testified that Mr. Uribe “was aware of the operation from the beginning.” .

The prosecutor’s office confirmed that it had called Mr. Uribe to testify on Monday, while he has also asked to “be heard” in the case.

The former president (2002-2010) said via X (the former Twitter) that he will defend his innocence and called Salvatore Mancuso “criminal” who accuses him “without evidence” and contradicts “in relation to his previous statements”, while he has, according to him, been “taught”.

The former head of state is also facing investigations into corruption and attempting to manipulate judicial proceedings in a case involving attempted witness tampering.

When he took office, Mr. Uribe implemented an extremely tough policy against far-left rebels operating in the country, which was enthusiastically applauded by his supporters but strongly criticized by the left-wing opposition and human rights groups.

Although his once-massive influence has waned considerably, Álvaro Uribe remains a beacon of the Colombian right, which was forced to leave power for the first time only in 2022, when the social democrat Gustavo Petro was elected president.