Colombia’s judiciary on Friday sentenced former President Álvaro Uribe to 12 years of house arrest after finding him guilty of witness tampering—making him the first former head of state in the country’s history to be convicted and deprived of his liberty.

According to a court document cited by local media and confirmed by a source familiar with the case to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the 73-year-old Uribe is also barred from holding public office for more than eight years.

Uribe, who served as president from 2002 to 2010, has long been one of Colombia’s most influential and polarizing political figures. The ruling marks a dramatic chapter in the country’s legal and political landscape.