The corruption scandal in the Central American country has led to the arrest warrant: understand the context here

The government of the current president Juan Orlando Hernández has stood very badly regarding the investigation that is advanced by the Pandora case. Ex-officers, officials and deputies of the current government party. On July 23, the Supreme Court of Honduras issued 38 arrest warrants, some of which were already captured and others are fugitives.

Leer en español: Honduras: el caso pandora sacude al país

What are they accused of?

The case erupted after the deviation of 282 million lempiras, approximately 12 million dollars, to political parties and individuals. In the investigation, the Support Mission against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) of the Organization of American States (OAS) collaborated. For MACCIH officials, the complaint filed by Pietro DiBatista, an Italian investor and honorary former consul on the island of Roatán, who assured that his foundation was used for atypical operations, which led him to suspect.

According to the statement by Judge Lidia Álvarez Sagastume of the Supreme Court, the money came to private accounts of deputies, mayors and aldermen, and among the beneficiaries are members of the Liberal Party, the National Party, and the Frente Amplio. The investigation also found that there were two offices in Tegucigalpa.

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The pandora case

The case began with the preparation by the United States of a group of police from the Police Directorate of Investigations (DPI), who discovered that through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG) funds were diverted for political campaigns. The SAG paid through the foundations Todos Somos Honduras and Dibattista paid the money in 2013, therefore, Pietro DiBatista denounced the facts, since he had not authorized those maneuvers.

In total there is talk of 120 individuals involved, but so far has been given the order to capture 38 and continuous investigation, as the number could increase. The president of the Supreme Court of Accounts, Ricardo Rodríguez, in an interview with the newspaper La Prensa of Honduras, made it clear that the 800 deputies who have passed through the congress since 2007, may be investigated, including the current president and the current attorney national.

The government of Juan Carlos Hernández was very badly placed in the face of the situation, since if it was proven that he received money indirectly for his party, a political crisis would be generated in the country in which not only the executive power could fall, but also the legislature also because of the number of members involved.

LatinAmerican Post | Carlos Eduardo Gómez Avella

Translated from "Honduras: el caso pandora sacude al país"