The Supreme Court confirms the four years in prison for the 'king of coal' for environmental crimes

The Supreme Court has confirmed the sentence of four years in prison for Victorino Alonso, known as the

, for environmental damage caused in the exploitation of one of its mines.

In addition, this businessman must pay a penalty of more than 24.3 million euros for a crime against natural resources and the environment.

Alonso, with a good number of open cases and some convictions, has managed to avoid jail so far.

He even declared himself insolvent in 2018 and did not face another fine of 25.5 million euros to which he was sentenced for destroying a prehistoric site, the Cueva de Chaves (Huesca), to build some goat troughs on his farm. hunting.

The Supreme Court has now declared the company Minero Siderúrgica de Ponferrada SA and its successor Coto Minero del Cantábrico as subsidiary civil liability for this new fine of 24.3 million.

The sentence that the Supreme Court now confirms was handed down in May 2021 by the Provincial Court of León and refers to the damage caused by the opening of an open-cast coal mine, known as Nueva Julia, in the town of Cabrillanes (León ), between 2007 and 2010. The magistrates of the Criminal Chamber understand that Alonso's company executed that mine occupying plots and without the licenses "knowing its illegality."

The Supreme Court magistrate Ángel Luis Hurtado, who has been the rapporteur, considers that in this case there is evidence that shows "the exaggerated environmental excesses that are declared proven" and adds that the impact "is of such magnitude, that it offers samples that, with the naked eye, are detectable, such as topographic changes, or the destruction of both the soil and all the vegetation, or the existence of waste dumps, or the clogging of the streambed by debris”.

In addition, the invasion of plots of the neighboring municipality of Villablino supposes "an excess of all those incurred by the promoter, some qualitative, through the attack on natural resources, and other quantitative, insofar as it expanded on land for which it did not It had authorization, just as it did not, for aggression against the environment, and all this based on authorizations that it did obtain, but that, in its development, went too far in all its aspects, always with the same lucrative purpose that guided all the proceeding of the condemned”.

Alonso's defense had appealed the sentence of the Leonese Court of 2021. But the Supreme Court magistrates have rejected all the arguments and have confirmed the sentence, thus maintaining the sentence of four years in prison and 24.3 million euros. euro.

The Supreme Court considers that the penalty imposed is reasonable due to the enormous extension of the affected area, which exceeds 400 hectares, the more than four years that exploitation lasted, the enormous severity of the damages and risks caused, and the more than 25 million in which the repair of those impacts was estimated.

In addition, the court ruled out deriving responsibility towards other directors or personnel of the company, since Alonso was "owner, manager, director, supervisor and administrator" of the company, with which "control of all its activity passed through his hands ”.

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