A federal judge in Mexico recently issued an arrest warrant for a union leader who is heading the Cananea copper mine strike that has lasted more than two years.

According to a news release issued Sept. 4 by the attorney general’s office in Mexico, Napoleon Gomez and his accomplices are wanted for their alleged roles related to the improper use of $55 million of trust funds for current and former unionized employees of certain mining companies.

In order to conceal illegally obtained resources, they allegedly carried out various banking operations that ranged from exchanges to foreign transfers, in addition to purchases of artwork and cash deposits in accounts.

The investigation by the federal prosecutor took 40 months, with the participation of accounting experts and multiple depositions from eyewitnesses, according to the attorney general’s office.

Gomez has lived in self-imposed exile in Vancouver since 2006 to avoid corruption and embezzlement charges. On Jan. 30 of this year, the Mexican government asked Canadian authorities to extradite him. The arrest warrant issued Sept. 3 will be incorporated into the extradition request to give a judge in Canada even stronger evidence of the alleged responsibility of the fugitive.

What’s ahead?

On Sept. 1, Reuters reported that Grupo Mexico plans to fire the striking workers once the appeals process ends so it can repair and reopen the mine. Cananea would likely be able to resume production in 2010, Oscar Gonzalez, the head of Southern Copper, through which Grupo Mexico controls its mining assets, told the news agency.

Background

The mine strike started in July 2007 over health and safety concerns, but has grown complicated due to union leader Napoleon Gomez’s situation. In April, a Mexican government labor board gave mine owner Grupo Mexico permission to fire the striking workers on allegations they looted and damaged items at the facility. The union has appealed the decision.