Sabinas, Coahuila — A suspect who was officially charged in the Pinabete Mine disaster and had those charges dismissed, has had them reinstated. On Friday, the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) said they won their appeal against the dismissal issued by a judge in July.
In May of 2023, Luis “N” was officially charged in the Pinabete Mine disaster that left 10 miners dead. He appealed the charges and won in July. However, the FGR appealed the appeal that dismissed the charges and last week, won that appeal.
According to the FGR, Luis “N” will stand trial for the initial charges of unlawful use of federal property that resulted in the August 3, 2022 death of 10 miners in Coahuila.
The Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) in its Delegation of Coahuila, through appeal, obtained the revocation of the dismissal decreed in favor of Luis “N”, allegedly related to the events that occurred at the El Pinabete mine. Therefore, it was ordered to continue with the procedural sequel of the matter.
On May 24, the Public Ministry Federal (MPF) managed to connect this person to the incident due to his probable responsibility in the crime of exploitation unlawful use of property belonging to the nation.
On July 7, Judge José Luis Hernández Hernández declared a dismissal in favor of Luis “N” in accordance with the provisions of Section II, of Article 237 of the CNPP, decreeing immediate freedom.
Derived from the above, the FGR, through appeal, appealed against said resolution issued in favor of the accused. The Collegiate Court of Appeal of the Eighth Circuit based in Torreón, Coahuila de Zaragoza, notified the resolution of the criminal case, revoking the dismissal and ordered the continuation with the procedural sequel of the case, the FGR reported in a statement.
Three people were arrested in relation to the mine deaths.
According to the FGR, one was accused of “illicit exploitation of a property of the Nation” while the other two were identified for allegedly having “allowed coal exploitation activities to be carried out illegally.”
The accident happened at the El Pinabete mining well in the town of Agujita, Coahuila on August 3 when the miners opened a hole which caused it to flood.
Five workers were able to get out on their own, but rescuers were never able to establish contact with the remaining 10. Due to the complexity of the mine, recovery of the bodies took more than six months.
