No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeCrimeCorruptionHonduras foreign minister resigns over police murder scandal

Honduras foreign minister resigns over police murder scandal

 TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Honduran Foreign Minister Arturo Corrales resigned on Friday after being mired in a scandal in which a cabal of corrupt top police officers reportedly ordered hits on anti-crime officials.

The office of President Juan Orlando Hernández said the head of state “has today (Friday) accepted the resignation of the secretary for foreign affairs and international cooperation, Arturo Corrales.”

Corrales was Orlando’s security minister during an alleged cover-up of the police involvement, which came to light through recent reporting by the Honduran newspaper El Heraldo.

The daily cited a security ministry document revealing that senior police officers ordered the assassination of Honduras’ top anti-drug official, Arístides González, in December 2009.

It also said the group of police ordered hits on a state prosecutor, Orlando Chávez, in April 2013, and on a former security ministry consultant, Alfredo Landaverde, in December 2014.

The hierarchy of the security ministry in place between 2009 and 2014 covered up the information, the newspaper said.

Corrales was security minister for one year, from January 2014 until January 2015, when he was made foreign minister.

Honduras’ public ministry, which handles state prosecutions, opened an investigation last week after a raid on the police headquarters turned up evidence regarding González’s murder.

The president has asked Congress to approve an emergency decree aimed at accelerating a clean-up of the 12,000-strong police force that has been dragging on for four years now.

That process started in early 2011 when it was discovered that it was riddled with officers working for narcotics cartels, hitmen and other criminals.

Authorities believe more than one in 10 of the officers is dirty and must be booted from the police force.

Trending Now

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 Closing Event Bans Minors, Sparks Outrage

Costa Rica’s Pride 2025 closing event, set for June 29 at San José’s Plaza de la Democracia, was thrown into controversy when the government...

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...

El Salvador Slams Paris Fashion Show Inspired by Cecot Mega-Prison Inmates

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, joked on Saturday that he could send inmates from his mega-prison to France, after they were represented...

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

Retired Nicaraguan Army Captain Sentenced to 50 Years for Treason

A retired military officer was sentenced to 50 years in prison in Nicaragua for the crime of "treason against the homeland," his family denounced...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica