Wife of ex-president of Honduras arrested on graft charges -officials
TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) - Police arrested the wife of former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo on Wednesday on corruption charges including siphoning funds from social works programs for the poor, officials said.
Rosa Elena Bonilla was detained at her residence on the outskirts of the capital Tegucigalpa, officials said. Police also arrested her brotherin-law and seized documents pertaining to graft accusations.
Ana Maria Calderon, interim head of the Organization of American States’ (OAS) Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) said Bonilla and others had embezzled 16 million lempiras ($680,000).
“Mrs. Bonilla is accused, along with other former officials, ... having created a money laundering network to hide money from the state that was earmarked for social works,” Calderon said.
Late last year, Bonilla denied the corruption allegations after voluntarily testifying before prosecutors in the case. Her lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Calderon said Bonilla used part of the money to pay for family members’ educational fees and personal surgeries.
Corruption scandals have led to a string of arrests in Central America in recent years, thanks to growing pressure from activists and backing from foreign powers.
Bonilla was detained a day after U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley visited Honduras to talk about drug trafficking and corruption.