Colombia's ex-intel chief jailed for domestic spying

A Colombian former intelligence chief was jailed for 14 years on Thursday for spying on judges, journalists and opposition figures in a high-profile case that stained the legacy of popular ex-president Alvaro Uribe.

The Supreme Court convicted Maria del Pilar Hurtado in February of ordering illegal wiretaps on a former senator, two opposition politicians, the mayor of Bogota and its own judges during Uribe's presidency from 2002 to 2010.

The sentence was less than the 20 years requested by prosecutors.

Uribe's former chief of staff Bernardo Moreno was also sentenced to eight years for soliciting illegally obtained intelligence from Hurtado's agents at the Administrative Department of Security (DAS) in 2007 and 2008.

Under Hurtado, the DAS illegally spied on opposition members and leaked some of the information obtained to the press, overtly political activities that had nothing to do with national security, the court ruled.

The scandal-plagued agency was disbanded by Uribe's successor, President Juan Manuel Santos.

After the allegations emerged, Hurtado fled the country in 2010 and was granted asylum in Panama, but surrendered to Colombian authorities at the end of January after Interpol issued a notice for her arrest.

Uribe, who remains popular and is one of Santos's most vocal opponents, said he was "saddened" to see Hurtado and Moreno jailed for "doing their duty."

He is now a senator and has immunity from prosecution in the case.