Charges Dropped Against CETEG Leader

(Acapulco, JG 30 October) In yesterday’s preliminary hearing on the arrest of CETEG leader Félix Moreno Peralta, accused of his involvement in the blockade of the Costera Miguel Alemán in Acapulco on October 21, 2008, the prosecuting attorneys dropped all charges. In the original arrest warrant, dated in January of 2009, Moreno was accused of leading the blockade; but the prosecutors were unable to come up with any evidence linking the defendant to the crime. The witnesses mentioned in the 2009 document were unable to identify the defendant. They said they had never seen Mr. Moreno before, and did not recognize him.

Commentary

Even the naïve can smell the odor of a government deal in the dropping of all charges. Half the population of Acapulco could have linked the defendant to the event that snarled traffic and virtually shut down the city for over a day. The press published little else at the time. While it is true that Moreno held no union office when the blockade occurred, his official capacity was not a necessary part of the charge. Since prosecutor incompetence cannot possibly be the explanation, the only other reasonable choice is that the government has made a deal, and most local commentators go with that choice. To avoid further obstruction and violence, the government has negotiated with CETEG, and one of the conditions appears to be the dropping of all charges against Moreno. By making a deal with a union prepared to commit illegal acts against an innocent population, the government has now set a precedent for every future labor dispute with public employees.