Original language

Spanish

Country
Colombia
Date of text
Type of court
National - higher court
Sources
Court name
Supreme Court
Seat of court
Bogota
Reference number
STP2485-2015
Tagging
Civil, Forests, Evidence, Constitutional, Property
Free tags
Environment gen.
Justice(s)
Bustos Martínez; Fernández Carlier; Salazar Cuéllar
Abstract

In this case, the plaintiff is the owner of a land next to a protected forest where a gas station is planned. The plaintiff required that the Court issue a suspension order of the construction of the gas station and that the police conduct an investigation of the possible violation of environmental law resulting from this construction.

The plaintiff based his petition on the fact that the destruction of the forest ecosystems resulting from the construction of the gas station was a violation of his right to a healthy environment, of private property, and to public information, as he claimed that no information on the project had been provided. The Court of first instance held that there was no evidence that the construction of the gas station was going to have such an impact on the environment and that an urgent suspension of the construction was required because the court considered that the land where the gas station was supposed to be built was not part of the protected forest where the risk would have been significant.

The plaintiff sought appeal of the decision in front of the Supreme Court. The court considered the right to petition the court is a constitutional right but that the emergency of suspending the construction work could not be showed; there was not enough evidence to order an investigation from the Police of Calera and from the Office of protection of the natural resources.