Chilean court revokes house arrest for former Conaf official in wildfire case, citing insufficient evidence

A former official of Chile's National Forest Corporation (Conaf) has had his house arrest lifted by the Valparaíso Court of Appeals. Luis Antonio Correa Jiménez, who was accused by the Public Ministry of quasi-homicide in connection with the massive wildfires in February 2024, will now be subject to national residency and a prohibition on communicating with witnesses.

The court's decision partially granted an appeal filed by Correa Jiménez's defense. The judges found that the evidence presented was insufficient to warrant continued house arrest. They specifically questioned the prosecution's reliance on the fact that Correa Jiménez received certain alerts as proof of his criminal responsibility.

Correa Jiménez served as an incident commander during the emergency. The court's ruling suggests that merely receiving information, such as an audio message, does not automatically equate to culpability. The case highlights the legal scrutiny applied to officials during large-scale emergencies and the burden of proof required for criminal charges.