In Acre, Tarauacá City Hall illegally extracted clay at site where child was buried

Ívina Garcia – From Cenarium Magazine

ACRE – After the death of a 12-year-old child buried in a clandestine dam, the Public Ministry of Acre (MP-AC) concluded that there was a crime of illegal extraction of clay by the Municipality of Tarauacá on the site.

The accident occurred in June this year, in the Ipecaconha neighbourhood, and resulted in the investigation by the MP, which confirmed that there was no license for mineral extraction in the region. The Operational Support Centre for the Defence of Historical Heritage and Environment (Caop-Maphu) and the Environment Institute of Acre (Imac) inspected the land at the time and conducted survey of license documents.

According to the investigation, an environmental crime was committed, as provided for in article 55 of the Environmental Crimes Law, because the Municipality extracted mineral resources without the appropriate authorisation, permission, concession or licence, or in breach of such authorisation, permission, concession or licence.

In addition to the illegal extraction, the clay was also removed from land belonging to the Union. The site is part of the subdivision of the Army Command – 61st BIS. The MPAC instituted preparatory proceedings against the mayor Maria Lucinéia Nery and the municipal secretary of Works, Antônio Rosenir Artêmio, in order to further investigate the facts.

Other actions of the Prefecture were found to show the illegal use of three other areas: one located on BR-364, Vila Corcovado, without any license, and two others, located on BR-364 at km 02 and km 01, with expired licenses, which were irregular.

“According to the technical review made by Imac, to fls. 49, that even applied fines to the City Hall, circulating in a value of R$ 10 thousand for unlicensed area of Vila Corcovado, in addition to the embargo, while one of the two areas with expired license were embargoed and the other notified”, says an excerpt of the document.

“Request information to the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), in order to raise updated information about the investigation of possible crime committed in the area of the 61st BIS, identifying which prosecutor was assigned”, concludes the document signed by the Prosecutor of Justice Júlio César de Medeiros.