Maria del Pilar Hurtado, the ex-head of Colombia's secret police, appeared in court in Bogota, facing charges of illegally spying on political opponents of the former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

BBC reports Hurtado was detained in Panama on Friday night after turning herself over to the Colombian authorities. In 2010 she fled the country after the allegations against her were made public, and she was subsequently granted asylum in the neighboring country of Panama.

Panama's decision to offer Hurtado asylum became a source of bitter outrage in Colombia. This was mainly because of the close relations between President Uribe and Ricardo Martinelli, the president of Panama at the time.

In 2014 the Panamanian Supreme Court took away Hurtado's asylum. Hurtado's exact whereabouts remained unknown for months, until last Friday when Interpol issued an international arrest order for the former leader of the Colombian secret police. She gave herself up to the Colombian authorities in Panama just hours after the order was placed and was immediately put on a plane to Bogota.

Judge Gerson Chaverra in Bogota said her arrest was lawful and maintains she will remain in a high security unit at the Prosecutor's Office in Bogota where she will await her day in court.

"We need to take precautions to prevent any attempt against her life," Judge Chaverra said.

Between 2007 and 2008, Hurtado was head of the now-defunct Department of Administrative Security, an organization that answered to President Uribe.

Uribe, who was in office between 2002 and 2010, denied any involvement in the scandal and further claims, when Hurtado fled to Panama for asylum, he never issued any orders violating Colombian law or the Constitution.