This report exposes the weaknesses of corruption prosecution and the courts. But there is hope for the future. The AG’s office recently formed its own investigative agency to improve its criminal investigations. This April, the MACCIH began its work independently investigating corruption. ASJ supports the AG’s office with continued legal training and accompanies the work of the AG in particularly important corruption cases.
Corruption On Trial In Honduras: ASJ Study Offers Insight
July 1, 2016
The first page of ASJ's (formerly known as AJS-Honduras) new study on corruption cases in the judicial system quotes José Ugaz, the president of Transparency International:
“Corruption is a tax that the poor end up paying.”
Ugaz’s quote illustrates why anti-corruption is one of ASJ’s biggest focuses: corruption at the highest levels of government obstructs the ability of the poor to receive the basic services that will give them a better life.
The new report, “Prosecution of Public Corruption 2008 – 2015”, is a detailed look into how often corruption cases are brought to justice by the Attorney General’s office (AG’s office). The study provides a baseline from which to measure how well the AG’s office and the judiciary are functioning. It also will guide ASJ’ future efforts and advocacy to improve these institutions that are key to the proper and just administration of the entire Honduran government.
The report was presented last Tuesday by ASJ’ Director of Investigations, Lester Ramirez. He was accompanied by a panel made up of Honduran Attorney General, Oscar Chinchilla; Chief Supreme Court Justice, Rolando Argueta; a representative from the Organization of American State’s special anti-corruption mission to Honduras (MACCIH), Jan-Michael Simon; and ASJ President, Carlos Hernández. The Special Commission for the Purging and Transformation of the Police, Honduran civil society, and international diplomats were also present.
To create the report, ASJ’ investigation team diligently spent eight months reviewing a sample of 110 corruption cases from Tegucigalpa in which 189 individuals were indicted.
In the eight years the study covers, the Attorney General’s office (AG’s office) received over 3,471 tip regarding government corruption. Only 283 of these resulted in indictments.
Of the 110 cases reviewed in the sample, the AG’s office earned nine convictions – only one of which resulted in jail time. In many instances, rather than pursuing stronger convictions, corrupt government employees were simply fined. But the fines are usually small, just a slap on the wrist as punishment for the nearly $180 million dollars stolen through these 110 corruption cases. This is money that should be used to provide key government services like health care, public education, and adequate policing.
Good research – like in this report – shows where problems exist in the courts and where reforms need to me made so that the AG, the courts, and ASJ can improve the performance of the justice system. When corruption is tried, convicted, and punished appropriately, the poor will no longer have to pay for the corruption of the elites.
ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People, Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US
A call to action for Honduras
The Association for a More Justice Society-US Supports the Network to Defend Democracy; Calls for Free and Fair Elections in Honduras November 25, 2025
Honduras’s Institutional Crisis Deepens Ahead of the 2025 Elections
Dear friend, I couldn’t stop looking at the picture. Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets. But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer. Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections. As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope. The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened. After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection. So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.
Calvin alums turn faith into action through nonprofit
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank You for Moving Forward With Us this Summer!
When Policies Shift, Families Pay the Price * by Jo Ann Van Engen
Inspiring civil society in the US with a vision of a more just society
