Elon Musk bought land in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, to build a Tesla Gigafactory, but the land has been in dispute for 20 years.
Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world and CEO of Tesla, acquired land in Santa Catarina, Nuevo León, to build a Gigafactory.
However, these lands, which cover more than 1,194 hectares and were purchased for more than 100 million dollars, are in the middle of a legal dispute that dates back 20 years.
The property is claimed by Maria de los Angeles Garcia Jimenez and her seven siblings, who claim to be the rightful owners, reports La Jornada.
What is known about the conflict?
Claim of ownership:
Maria de los Angeles Garcia Jimenez, 71, says the land has been in her family for decades. She says she has documents to support her claim, including five deeds, seven intestate documents and property tax payments for the past 50 years.
According to her, the Garza Ayala family, descendants of a former governor of Nuevo Leon, Lázaro Garza Ayala, has been involved in a fraud to deprive her family of the land. The Garza Ayalas illegally sold the land to Elon Musk, despite not being the legitimate owners.
Fraud and corruption:
María de los Ángeles claims that the Registry and Cadastral Institute of Nuevo León “disappeared” the documents of her properties. In 2009, she discovered that her cadastral file had been cancelled and that the lands were registered in the name of other people.
He claims that the Garza Ayalas, with the complicity of corrupt officials, made illegal corrections in the records to obtain the land. Legal notifications were even sent to incorrect addresses to prevent his family from defending their rights.
Legal dispute:
Since 2019, María de los Ángeles and her brother Pedro Manuel García Jiménez have filed an administrative litigation (number 1255/2019) against former directors of the Cadastre and other officials, including Carlos Garza Ibarra, current director of Credits and Collections of the Ministry of Finance of Nuevo León.
They also sued the descendants of Lázaro Garza Ayala, who have been accused of stealing property from other people in the state.
History of violence:
Maria de los Angeles says her family has suffered violent attacks by the Garza Ayalas, including shootings on their property. This led her father to move the family to Apodaca to protect them, although they continued to pay property taxes on the Carvajal ranch.
Communication with Elon Musk:
Maria de los Angeles has sent several letters to Elon Musk and the governor of Nuevo Leon, Samuel Garcia, informing them about the fraud and claiming her right to the land. So far, she has not received a response.
She insists she has no personal conflict with Musk, but is demanding that she and her siblings be paid for the land that rightfully belongs to them.
What are the implications of the case?
For Elon Musk: This litigation could delay or even paralyze the construction of the Gigafactory in Nuevo León, a key project for Tesla’s expansion in Latin America.
For the government of Nuevo León: The case exposes an alleged corruption network within the Registry and Cadastral Institute, which could generate a political and legal scandal.
For the alleged rightful owners: María de los Ángeles and her family are seeking justice and recognition of their rights to the land, which they say they have defended for decades.
“Tesla is still on hold,” says Samuel García
The governor of Nuevo León, Samuel García, confirmed that the project to install Tesla’s Gigafactory in Santa Catalina, Nuevo León, remains on hold.
This statement comes despite the fact that in previous weeks the president had suggested that there would be news on the issue by January 20.
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During an interview on Telediario Mediodía , García Sepúlveda explained that the situation has been influenced by the economic stances of former US President Donald Trump, whom he described as “very tough” in his policies.
“Well, we are still on pause. His last statement was around October, where he said that he was going to wait for the US election and that the new president, well, would not oppose it.
“What have we seen? Well, Mr. Trump has already arrived, we have seen how, well, he has been very tough,” said the governor.
Despite this pause in Tesla’s project, García Sepúlveda ruled out that Trump’s arrival to the presidency of the United States has negatively affected foreign direct investment in Nuevo León.
