Enrique Antía ordered to return land to Instituto Nacional de Colonización

A judge in Maldonado has ordered former mayor Enrique Antía to return a 49-hectare property, known as El Sarandí, to the Instituto Nacional de Colonización (INC). The ruling follows the rescission of a lease agreement after inspections revealed that Antía failed to meet the legal requirements for a colonist.

According to the court, the law requires colonists to reside on the land and work it directly. Investigations found that Antía lived in the city of Maldonado and that the agricultural tasks were performed by employees of a family agribusiness rather than the tenant himself. The judge noted that Antía does not fit the profile of a family producer or rural worker that the INC is legally mandated to prioritize.

The legal dispute stems from land originally adjudicated to Antía in the 1980s. Following a land exchange in 2013, he became the tenant of the current 49-hectare fraction. The decision to terminate the lease was previously upheld by the Tribunal de lo Contencioso Administrativo and the Supreme Court of Justice has rejected claims of unconstitutionality. If the land is not returned, the INC may seek police assistance for eviction or apply daily fines.