Gabriela Rico/Arizona Daily Star

Related articles:

Grupo Mexico CEO defends Asarco transferAsarco's fraud case has a new wrinkleJudge orders Grupo Mexico CEO to take stand in Asarco trialGrupo bids $2.7B to regain control of AsarcoJudge orders Grupo Mexico chief to testify in Asarco caseGrupo Mexico loses bid positionDefense rests in Asarco suit against former parentAsarco protests attempt to withdraw Grupo Mexico execs as witnesses

Other articles by Gabriela Rico:

Casino-resort plan backed Asarco offers $1.1B for cleanupsTucson's Asarco would pay $1.1B to settle environmental claims nationwideWind-farm parts rolling throughFirst Magnus executives are sued for $1 billion Traen subasta de autos clásicos Collector-car auction at the TCC: Gaze longingly or bring fat walletGem-show vendors lament Tucson's lack of flightsO'odham to build largest AZ casino-resort near Glendale Cierran dos populares restaurantes

Health Care
Sierra Tucson
Eating Disorders Program Coordinator Health Care
CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The CEO of Tucson-based Asarco LLC’s former parent company said all decisions he made about the Southern Arizona copper producer were in the company’s best interest.

During more than four hours of testimony today, Group Mexico CEO Germán Larrea repeatedly said that he and other company officials were trying to save, not hurt Asarco.

Not only did he not want to let Asarco file for bankruptcy, Larrea said the litigation has been “very, very expensive” and that the millions of dollars spent on lawsuits would be better spent on paying creditors.

His testimony was expected to go into the evening.

Larrea made his appearance in a federal courthouse shortly before 1 p.m.

Wearing a dark suit and red tie, he leaned back in his seat and surveyed the packed courtroom that had extra security provided by U.S. Marshals.

Earlier in the day miners and union representatives from Mexico traveled overnight to hear this afternoon’s expected testimony from the head of the company they have been on strike against for 10 months.

Tucson copper producer Asarco LLC is suing a subsidiary of its former parent company, Grupo Mexico claiming fraudulent transfer of its interest in Peruvian mines.

Nearly 20 miners and union reps who were standing outside the federal courthouse this morning, said they are hopeful the judge will strip Larrea of all his U.S. and Peruvian properties and set an “example of justice for Mexico,” said Javier Zuñiga Garcia of Mexico City.

The miners in Cananea have been striking against Grupo Mexico for 10 months, demanding safety equipment and better pay.

The union doesn't want a repeat of the February 2006 accident that left 63 miners buried after an accident at the mine in Coahuila, Zuñiga said.

He said the Mexican government has not assisted the families of the dead miners, who demand that Grupo Mexico pay to exhume the bodies and upgrade equipment at the other mines.

In January, Grupo won its bid to have the strike at the Cananea copper mine declared illegal after losing $600 million in sales.

Police ejected strikers from the gates at the mine, about 100 miles southeast of Tucson and put the mine back in Grupo’s control.

A Mexican federal labor board declared the strike illegal because the 1,287 workers didn’t follow proper procedure when they walked out July 30.

This morning the miners said they were not interested in confronting Larrea, but hope he is held accountable by the U.S. justice system and that the Mexican government will stop bowing to the country’s third richest man, Zuñiga said.

“How is it possible that our neighbors to the north can apply justice and the Mexican government refuses,” he said.