Arrest warrant issued for Mexican airline magnate – report

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – An arrest warrant has been issued in Mexico for Miguel Aleman, co-founder of budget airline Interjet, on criminal tax fraud charges, according to a judicial source with knowledge of the matter and Mexican media.

Prosecutors are seeking Aleman’s detention as part of a nearly 65 million peso ($3.25 million) tax fraud investigation, newspaper El Universal and other media reported.

An Interjet spokesperson declined comment. Reuters was not immediately able to contact Aleman or his lawyer for comment.

The judicial source was not authorised to speak to media and declined to be identified.

The arrest warrant for Aleman marks one of the first times a prominent Mexican business leader has been targeted by authorities under a new law that treats tax fraud as a serious crime.

Aleman is the grandson of a former president and the son of a governor of Veracruz state.

The law, enacted last year, is part of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s push to squeeze more revenue out of businesses and end years of what he has derided as weak tax collection. Under it, suspects can be arrested when charged and held in custody during proceedings.

Interjet shut down in December after the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated its financial woes. The airline is hoping to strike a deal with creditors within a year so it can resume operations.

($1 = 19.9855 Mexican pesos)

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Additional reporting by Sharay Angulo; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)