Justice will investigate a criminal complaint against the President Javier Milei, The Minister of Security Patricia Bullrich and the Minister of Economy Luis Caputo for crimes related to the bad management of the government to combat the devastating fires in the south of the country.
The complaint was made in the courts of Comodoro Py by the lawyer Gregorio Dalbón And it points to de -financing by the Government of Environmental Areas and Fire Management, according to the C5N journalist Vanesa Petrillo.
The lawyer requested the investigation of officials for the crimes of “abuse of authority, breach of the duties of a public official and violation of the Fire Management Law.”
Judicial brief refers to “The drastic reduction of resources for the prevention and combat of fires, added to the lack of execution of the budgets assigned to the management of environmental emergencies ”
This, according to the lawyer, “implies a deliberate violation of the duty to fulfill and enforce the laws that guarantee the protection of the environment and the security of the population”
“The lack of investment in infrastructure, the drastic reduction of the budget for fire management and mass layoffs in key areas have turned what could have been a controllable emergency into an unprecedented crisis”warned the lawyer in the complaint.
The lawyer remarked that the National Fire Management Service, a fundamental body for environmental protection and the response to forest fires, “He has been a victim of brutal budget cuts that have reduced their operability to alarming levels.”
Legado denounced that the lack of adequate equipment “is the direct result of a policy that, far from meeting the urgent needs of the country, focuses on military expenses while dismantling the prevention and response mechanisms against catastrophes”
Reduction in budget
The complaint refers to a report by the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (Farn), which indicated that the Undersecretariat has a third of the budget compared to 2023. In addition, the participation of the environment area in the total national budget fell a 28 , 9% in relation to the previous period.
“On the other hand, the national parks administration also experienced a real reduction of 63.4% in their budget, these items represent only 0.16% of the total national budget,” says the complaint.
The presentation remarked that the transformation of the previous Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development into a Undersecretariat implies a significant reduction in its budget, “representing only 0.066% of the total, which represents a fall of around 25% compared to the previous year” .
“In sum, the items assigned for the protection of native forests represent only 2.56% of what stipulated by the Forest Law, with a real decrease of 27%,” they say.
Criminalization of Mapuche communities
Dalbón said that, instead of assuming responsibility, the government has opted for “A criminalization strategy towards Mapuche communities, diverting the attention of their own negligence.”
“The UN Special Rapporteurship on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has warned about the use of stigmatizing speeches to justify repressive policies against native communities.”
For the lawyer, the accusation against the Mapuche people “It seems to align with the government strategy to dismantle environmental and fire management policies, thus avoiding assuming the consequences of its inaction.”
Test measures
Among the requested measures, Dalbón requested that the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) refer all information related to “The quantity and operational status of the hydrants available for fire fighting.”
Also that the headquarters of Ministers are required to refer to any documentation related to the budget execution of the National Fire Management System (SNMF) and other fire prevention programs from December 2023 to date with indication of amounts assigned, applied cuts and deviations of funds to other areas.
Among the measures, the lawyer requested that the provincial governments of Río Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz and Neuquén be required to carry out a detailed report on the orders for assistance made to the National Government to combat the fires.
They must indicate the answers obtained and, if applicable, “what resources were denied.”
Source: Ambito
