The President of one the Colombian branch of multinational mining company Drummond resigned Tuesday.
Augusto Jimenez, the President of the U.S. based Drummond Company, resigned after helming the position for 23 years.
ElColombiano.com expects current Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Jose Miguel Linares to succeed Jimenez.
Jimenez reportedly will remain on the board of directors after leaving his presidential position on December 31.
The Drummond Company is a giant in the coal mining business. The company’s two coal mines near La Loma in the Cesar department produce close to 25 million tons of coal a year which primarily serve customers in the United States and Europe.
Since Drummond began its operations in Colombia in 1995, it has experienced its fair share of controversy. In March, a former AUC member testified before a U.S. court that Drummond paid paramilitaries $1.5 million to murder union leaders.
Just six months later, an unidentified criminal group attacked a Drummond convoy injuring six of its employees.
Colombia has seen a rise in the number of attacks on its infrastructure over the past year, particularly in the oil and mining industries. Most of the attacks have been attributed to the country’s two largest guerrilla groups: the FARC and the ELN.
