On Wednesday, October 20, it was announced that Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office had arrested Interjet’s legal representative. The former executive is being investigated for his presumed responsibility in the crime of tax fraud. The case is being handled in parallel to the investigation of businessman Miguel Aleman Magnani, former president of the airline.
According to the newspaper Milenio, the arrest of Luis Alejandro Beristain Mercado took place on October 16 in the community of El Refugio, in the municipality of El Marqués, Querétaro. The arrest was led by the Federal Ministerial Police.
Beristain Mercado is being prosecuted for allegedly omitting to pay income taxes totaling 11,952,415 pesos (around $590,000) during the 2020 tax period. Although the crime for which he is charged does not merit -in principle- preventive imprisonment, the leader will have to deposit the amount being sued as a guarantee to remain at liberty during the process. The officials in charge of the investigation commented that they are also investigating the possibility that former president Magnani ” might have carried out some irregular operations with Beristain’s electronic signature”.
Magnani has been subject to Interpol’s search since August. Like Beristain, he is accused of tax fraud. The leader is being prosecuted for allegedly failing to pay taxes for a total of 66 million pesos (approximately US$3,250,000). People close to Magnani’s defense indicated that the businessman left the country in January to look for investors, and pointed out that he is currently residing in France.
