Puerto Montt Court of Appeals accepts protection writs and issues stay order for HidroAysén
The Puerto Montt Court of Appeals is currently resolving three protection writs declared admissible, after judges of the Coyhaique Court of Appeals disqualified themselves. The information comes from the Judiciary's website, in the context of serious corruption allegations against the public bodies responsible for the administrative decision in the Aysén region — allegations presented before the Human Rights Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, which is investigating alleged irregularities in the approval of the Project.
The Puerto Montt Court of Appeals declared three consolidated protection writs admissible, submitted by senators Antonio Horvath Kiss and Guido Girardi Lavín, and deputies Patricio Vallespin and Enrique Acorssi, along with various organizations and individuals, against the Environmental Assessment Commission of the Aysén Region, regarding the exempt resolution No. 225 of May 13 last, which favorably evaluated the project known as "HidroAysén."
The appellate court also granted a stay order submitted against the approval resolution — which means the project is suspended until the substance of the matter is resolved. This according to what was published on the Judiciary website and disseminated today by socio-environmental networks and third-sector media outlets.
The Puerto Montt Court of Appeals assumed jurisdiction over the HidroAysén protection writs after the Coyhaique Court of Appeals disqualified itself from hearing the writs filed following its resolution of a prior appeal.
The port city court's ruling comes in the context of serious corruption accusations against public bodies responsible for the administrative decision in the Aysén region — accusations presented by officials from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (Minvu) of the Aysén region before the Human Rights Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, which is investigating alleged irregularities in the approval of the HidroAysén Project.
A report by Radio Santa María de Coyhaique stated that at the Committee's June 13 session, the testimony of Natasha Pot, urban development analyst at the Aysén Minvu, corroborated what had previously been stated before the same body by architect Fernando Miranda — that a modification to the evaluation of the report had been made, "changed from non-conforming to conforming" to favor HidroAysén, the professional had declared.
In her testimony, Natasha Pot stated that the architect was pressured to change the report in favor of HidroAysén, and that the internal disciplinary investigation carried out at the Minvu was instructed by Nicolás Terrazas, the SEREMI of Housing and alleged participant in corrupt acts — with the sole purpose of finding the person who leaked the two reports: the original and the altered version. She also expressed concern about her own job security and that of her colleagues, and asked the committee to protect the job security of the officials called to testify — most of them are not on permanent staff, and their supervisors could, as a means of intimidation, dispense with their services at any moment as a result of their testimony, Radio Santa Rosa reported.
SOURCE: Ecoterritorios
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