By Wendy Anders

Just when you think it’s over … Crucitas returns.

On November 17-18, Canada’s Inifinito Gold company will face Broad Front Legislator Edgardo Araya in San José’s Second Judicial Criminal.

The company is pressing charges for Araya’s alleged defamation of Infinito Gold during previous legal battles in which the company’s interest in mining gold in northern Costa Rica was thwarted under environmental laws, reported Costa Rica’s digital daily CRHoy.com.

Crucitas, the planned mining site, has become symbolic of Costa Rica’s environmental legal muscle, and the trial has been called “the country’s most historic criminal case,” by local media.

The company filed the lawsuit in 2011 against Araya Sibaja from whom they hope to recover a million dollars due to the alleged damage Araya caused to their image, said CRHoy.com.

However, Canada’s Infinito Gold is already off to a bad start with the trial. Their lawyer canceled three previous court dates claiming to be ill, continued CRHoy.com.

And, despite the company’s several past attempts to withdraw the case, Araya, a criminal lawyer by professional training, has insisted the courts hear the arguments, reported CRHoy.com.

“My insistence that the trial be carried out is to show that there is no crime attributed to me, and to make it evident that the mining company, Infinito Gold, delivered a planned campaign of accusations and pressures to weaken the people’s protest, and that these types of maneuvers are being conducted today by other companies inside and outside the country, against dozens of activists who are fighting to defend the environment,” said the environmentalist legislator, who will defend himself during the trial, reported CRHoy.com.