HomeNewsBriefUS Investigating Honduras Supreme Court Candidates: Report
BRIEF

US Investigating Honduras Supreme Court Candidates: Report

HONDURAS / 24 NOV 2015 BY MICHAEL LOHMULLER EN

The US has reportedly linked a number of candidates for Supreme Court nominations in Honduras to organized crime, another example of the degree of US involvement in aiding the country's security and justice sectors.

According to anonymous sources cited by El Heraldo, 40 of Honduras' 197 Supreme Court candidates have been investigated by a US "independent organization" that works on judicial issues. The investigations have reportedly yielded information connecting these 40 candidates to illicit activities, particularly organized crime and drug trafficking; potentially impeding them from being nominated to one of 15 Supreme Court seats.

Honduras' Supreme Court nominating committee will receive detailed reports from this unnamed US organization on each of the 40 candidates, reported El Heraldo.

The nominating committee has stated no candidate with links to organized crime or drug traffickers will be appointed to the Supreme Court. This committee will eventually select 45 candidates, who must each satisfy a set of 21 requirements.

Honduras' State Directorate for Investigation and Intelligence (DNII) also investigates Supreme Court candidates. For instance, each candidate is subjected to a polygraph test, during which they are asked questions such as if they ever received money from organized crime.

Among the list of candidates is a lawyer who allegedly defended a Honduran citizen extradited in May 2015. Others were supposedly legal advisors to persons linked to organized crime and drug trafficking.

Candidates are required to submit a list of their legal clients during the past five years to the nominating committee.

InSight Crime Analysis

If, as El Heraldo's sources indicate, a US agency is providing background information on Honduras' Supreme Court candidates, it further demonstrates how involved the United States has become in supporting anti-corruption efforts in the country's institutions.

SEE ALSO: Honduras News and Profiles

In years past, US support has especially focused on Honduras' security sector, with US officials assisting in anti-crime and counter-drug efforts. Yet the United States has also taken on a role bolstering Honduras' judicial sector, and this year has seen a number of US indictments and extraditions of powerful Honduran figures suspected of involvement in organized crime

Moving forward, it will be important for Honduras to maintain momentum and consolidate anti-corruption gains made this year. Selecting clean, independent judges to the Supreme Court will be a key step in this process.

Nonetheless, Honduran officials must be careful not to persecute otherwise qualified Supreme Court candidates for providing legal services to persons linked to organized crime. As one lawyer consulted by El Heraldo pointed out, "This is our job," with Honduras' Constitution guaranteeing the right to a criminal defense.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ARGENTINA / 8 FEB 2023

InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up covers more countries than ever before, with a major expansion into nations of the Caribbean.

ELITES AND CRIME / 10 MAR 2022

The arrest and possible extradition of a former Honduras police chief suspected of drug trafficking could provide explosive evidence in…

BRAZIL / 24 MAR 2022

The 2021 ranking of the world's most violent cities predictably features a heavy presence by Latin American and Caribbean population…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…