Israeli reaches Chile plea deal to plant trees
Feb 10, 2012, 12:44 AM
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) – Chile has settled its criminal case against an Israeli hiker accused of negligently causing a fire that destroyed much of the Torres del Paine national park.
Under Chile’s obsolete Forests Law, pyromaniacs or negligent tourists can be fined no more than $300 for setting fires in national parks.
So instead of seeking a conviction, prosecutors worked out a deal with Israeli hiker Rotem Singer designed to restore much of the area destroyed after he allegedly set fire to toilet paper and it burned out of control.
The 23-year-old Singer has agreed to pay $10,000 and raise other money for an environmental group that will buy 50,000 native trees that will be used to replant the park by Chile’s national forestry agency.
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