Mexico arrest warrant for former airline owner
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A judge has issued an arrest warrant for the former owner of defunct Mexicana Airlines on charges of misuse of funds, an official at Mexico's Attorney General's Office said.
The official said the office has asked Interpol for help locating Gaston Azcarraga, who is accused of operating with illegal proceeds and is believed to be in the United States. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak by name.
It was not clear when the warrant was issued. The official said Azcarraga is accused of using investor funds without permission but did not provide more details.
Ricardo del Valle, the secretary general of the airline flight attendants union, said Thursday that his group had presented about 20 complaints against financial irregularities committed by the company's management. Del Valle said the union was still trying to determine what happened to the company's funds.
Leonardo Sanchez, the spokesman for the pilots' union, said the complaints alleged "oddities and omissions" under Azcarraga's administration of the firm.
Mexicana Airlines, once the country's main commercial airline, ceased to operate in 2010 after filing for bankruptcy. Attempts to restart the airline since then have failed.
