Judgment of the first instance of the “12·3” gas explosion accident in the Baoma Coal Mine, Chifeng, Inner Mongolia
Xinhua News Agency, Hohhot, November 6th (Reporters Wei Jingyu, Liu Yide) On the 6th, the People’s Court of Songshan District, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, People’s Court of Aluhorqin Banner, People’s Court of Linxi County, People’s Court of Keshiketeng Banner, The Laqin Banner People’s Court issued a first-instance public sentence on 9 criminal cases involved in the "12·3" mega gas explosion accident of Chifeng BMW Mining Co., Ltd., and sentenced 22 persons responsible for the accident and 10 defendants of related duty crimes in accordance with the law penalty.
On December 3, 2016, a huge gas explosion occurred in Chifeng Baoma Mining Co., Ltd. in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, which caused 32 deaths, 20 injuries and a direct economic loss of 43.99 million yuan.
The court found that since March 2008, the BMW Coal Mine has illegally exploited coal resources in a long, long-distance, large-scale, and large-scale crazily cross-border mining. The total amount of cross-border mining coal resources is 406,1972 tons, with a total value of 10,203,367,200 yuan.
The BMW Coal Mine took risks in the cross-border area and caused major safety hazards, which eventually caused a gas explosion. The responsible personnel of BMW Coal Mine and its parent company BMW Coal Materials Company shall bear criminal responsibility for the consequences of the accident.
Some staff of the Chifeng Supervision Branch of the Inner Mongolia Coal Mine Safety Supervision Bureau and other relevant departments did not perform their duties in place, and there was a serious lack of daily supervision. They failed to find and effectively stop the long-standing problem of illegal mining across the border in the BMW Coal Mine. There was dereliction of duty, which led to the accident. The important reason for this should be criminal responsibility according to law.
In addition, some employees of BMW Coal Mine deliberately destroyed underground wind logging records after the accident and interfered with the investigation of the accident. Some national public officials of relevant departments still took bribes, offered bribes, and embezzled public funds, and they should also bear corresponding criminal liabilities.
After the "12·3" accident, some defendants rushed to the scene to actively organize and participate in the rescue of the accident, voluntarily surrendered and truthfully confessed their crimes. If they surrendered, they could be given a lighter and mitigated punishment in accordance with the law.
Some managers of BMW Coal Mine and BMW Coal Materials Co., Ltd., who invested in coal mines as employees of state agencies, were punished severely.
The court ruled accordingly: Qiu Zetian and other 10 people were sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 13 years to 5 years and 6 months for the crime of serious accident and illegal mining.
Seven people including Zhao Haisheng were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from four years and six months to three years for the crime of serious accident, two of whom were suspended.
Four people including Gao Qizhu were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from four years and six months to three years for illegal mining.
Lu Hu was sentenced to two years and two months in prison for helping to destroy evidence.
Ten national public officials including Bao Qingchun were sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment ranging from fifteen years to one year and nine months for negligence, bribery, bribery, or embezzlement of public funds.
Most of the defendants were fined at the same time.
After the sentence was pronounced, most of the defendants pleaded guilty and repented in court.