Former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe was sentenced Friday to 12 years of house arrest for witness tampering and bribery in a historic case that gripped the South American nation and tarnished the conservative strongman's legacy.

A Colombian court on Monday turned down a request by ex-president Alvaro Uribe to be granted temporary freedom while appealing his sentence of 12 years' house arrest. Uribe's criminal conviction — the first to be issued to a former leader of Colombia — marked a dismal cap for the career of one of the country's most divisive politicians.

Uribe's defense team, led by attorneys Jaime Granados and Jaime Lombana, has announced its intention to appeal the decision.