Ricardo La Regina was found guilty of “aggravated harm” and “animal cruelty” for crushing 292 Magellanic penguin nests.
The Justice sentenced the businessman to three years in prison Ricardo La Reginafor having crushed hundreds of penguins with a bulldozer in the reserve Tombo Pointin Chubut, in 2021. This is a penalty conditional execution, so he will not go to jail.
The event was described as a massacre. The businessman used the administrative authorization machinery to intentionally destroy the habitat of these animals, and caused irreversible damage to the native fauna and flora. Its objective was trace paths to your stay and plant a 900 meter fence. With this fence, it prevented the animals from approaching the coast where their nests were.
As could be reconstructed, passed over 292 Magellanic penguin nests and so It killed 105 birds and crushed eggs and chicks.
Harsh sentence against the businessman responsible for a massacre of penguins in Punta Tombo
By two votes to one, judges Carlos Richieri, Eve Ponce and Laura Martini decided to sentence the accused for crimes of “aggravated harm” and “animal cruelty.” “This collegiate court unanimously rules by declaring Ricardo La Regina as the author criminally responsible for the crimes of aggravated damage, a fact in the form of a continuing crime, in ideal conjunction with the crime of Animal Cruelty,” the court said.
La Regina is held responsible for the damage caused during the events that occurred between the August 10 and 14, September 10 and 14, and November 26 and December 4, 2021.
In addition to the prison sentence, he will have to pay the costs of the process, he will not be able to circulate through the area sensitive to the ecosystem, both he and third parties, in large vehicles; will be prohibited from carrying out works or improvements without provincial authorization and an environmental impact report, and will have to collaborate with the restoration, preservation and conservation tasks of the environment provided by the authorities. On the other hand, it was ordered the seizure of a backhoe machine of his property, “because it was an element used to commit the crime.”
This was a case of “ecocide”, which was legally classified in the same year as the crime and was defined as “any illicit or arbitrary act perpetrated knowing that there is a high probability that it will cause serious, extensive or long-lasting damage to the environment”.
The prosecution had requested a sentence of 4 years in prison for the accused. Additionally, they required a compensation of 518 thousand dollars and expanding environmental protection to 500 hectares of the La Perla ranch, where the incident occurred.
Source: Ambito
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