Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
After the departure of the Mission to Support Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (Maccih) and the subsequent disappearance of the Special Fiscal Unit Against Impunity of Corruption (Ufecic), the Public Ministry announced yesterday the creation of a new fiscal unit to fight corruption that will replace the latter in these functions.
It’s about the Specialized Fiscal Unit Against Corruption Networks (Uferco), whose mandate will be to continue the lines of investigation initiated by Ufecic with support from the Maccih.
This new prosecutor will be directed by the hitherto head of the Ufecic, Luis Javier Santos, who was sworn in by the director of prosecutors, José Mario Salgado.
READ: President of Honduras supports the creation of Uferco
Among its main objectives will be the impartial investigation, law enforcement and prosecution of those responsible for committing crimes related to high-impact public corruption and corruption networks assigned to it by the Office of the Attorney General; Likewise, it will continue to evacuate the lines of investigation and support the cases that were prosecuted by Ufecic, using the good practices acquired with Maccih / OAS.
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13 Corruption cases were prosecuted by the integrated Maccih and Ufecic teams in the last three years. – |
According to the creation agreement signed by the attorney general, Oscar ChinchillaOn January 23, 2020, Uferco will be attached to the General Directorate of Prosecutors.
The staff.
In the statement, the MP explained that by not renewing the agreement between the Government of Honduras and the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the continuity of the Maccih resulted in the termination of its functions on January 19, consequently, the inter-institutional mechanism of bilateral cooperation signed on January 18, 2017 between the Attorney General’s Office and the OAS was left without value and effect, like all agreements and other instruments derived from it.
The agents of courts and other personnel that as of January 19 of this year integrated the Ufecic will become part of the Uferco, respecting the principle of hierarchical dependence that governs the actions of the servers of the Public ministry.
“All the actions that the General Directorate of the Prosecutor’s Office and / or the specialized fiscal units that are created guarantee the fulfillment of the appropriate strategies and policies required by the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, to ensure the implementation of the institutional strategic objective consisting of leading the policy against crime, through a coordinated activity, ”cites the statement.
Congratulations.
The US embassy accredited in Honduras ruled yesterday after learning about the creation of the new prosecutor’s office.
“We congratulate the Attorney General Oscar Chinchilla and @MP_Honduras for creating @UFERCO and the appointment of Luis Javier Santos at the head of this institution. Through his leadership, he will continue the fight against corruption and impunity in Honduras. # NoMásCorrupción ”, he published on his Twitter account.
The OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, also reacted through his account on the social network: “We welcome the creation of the Specialized Fiscal Unit Against Corruption Networks #UFERCO by @MP_Honduras”.
The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández said: “Always respecting the institutional independence of @MP_Honduras, and the other powers of the State, we give our full support to the Attorney General of the Republic Oscar Chinchilla @ofchb, congratulations for his leadership in the fight against impunity and for that important initiative. “
He added: “We know of the need to strengthen @MP_Honduras, so we are always in the provision of support with resources and the complementarity of our teams in the fight against impunity.”
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24 lines of investigation were pending after the closure of the Maccih and that now must promote and prosecute the Uferco. – |
Representatives of civil society also applauded yesterday the creation of the new Specialized Fiscal Unit Against Corruption Networks (Uferco) and advocated that the new prosecution enjoy independence and national and international financial support to fulfill its functions.
Omar Rivera said that the creation of this unit is a pertinent decision, so now the citizen agreement, the support of international cooperation and that the state authorities allocate all the necessary budgetary resources for its proper functioning becomes very important.
Carlos Hernandez, representative of Transparency International, hoped that this prosecution will continue working objectively to fight against corruption networks. He also relied on the ability of Uferco staff after being certified by the Maccih.
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