US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA2514

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 002514 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR INL, EB, AND INR 
STATE FOR WHA/CEN, WHA/PPC 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2013 
TAGS: PGOV, KJUS, KCRM, ECON, EAID, EFIN, PINR, HO 
SUBJECT: HONDURAN VICE PRESIDENT UNSETTLES MADURO 
GOVERNMENT WITH ACCUSATIONS OF CORRUPTION 
 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Francisco Palmieri; 
Reasons 1.5 (B) and (D). 
 
1. (U) On October 21, Honduran Vice President Armida de Lopez 
Contreras (one of three presidential designates in the 
current Honduran constitutional leadership structure) stirred 
up a hornets nest when she accused an unnamed high ranking 
Government of Honduras (GOH) official of tampering with USD 
24 million in international development aid.  The Vice 
President's public remarks left ministers scurrying for 
cover, drawing the ire of some of President Maduro's closest 
advisors. 
 
2. (C) While Contreras has yet to identify the name of the 
accused, the Honduran press narrowed the list to three 
possible individuals who have access to these particular 
development funds:  Mariano Jimenez, Minister of Agriculture; 
Jorge Carranza, Minister of Transportation; and Elias 
Lizardo, Minister of Health.  All three ministers deny any 
wrongdoing.  The Embassy learned from another source, 
however, that the corrupt official is allegedly Roberto 
Rodrigo Castillo Callejas, who earned the nickname. Roberto 
"Ladron" (Thief) Castillo during the previous Nationalist 
government of Rafael Callejas.  Castillo is a senior GOH 
advisor who reports directly to the Casa Presidencial. 
Contreras also confided that Minister Jimenez is the one who 
is refusing to follow established anti-corruption procedures. 
 
3. (U) The USD 24 million has been earmarked by the GOH to 
fund a development project along its northern border with El 
Salvador and Guatemala known as Plan Trifinio.  The project 
is funded jointly by the Inter-American Development Bank and 
the Central American Bank for Economic Integration. 
 
4. (U) In a follow-up interview on October 22 with the press, 
Contreras claimed various high ranking GOH officials have 
attempted to intimidate her by threatening to strip her of 
all her official duties.  She mentioned by name Jorge Ramon 
Hernandez, Minister of Government, Ramon Medina Luna, 
Maduro's National Security Advisor, and Luis Cosenza, 
Minister of the Presidency.  Contreras vowed that she would 
not be cowed and would continue her campaign to bring 
transparency to public finances. 
 
5. (C) Comment: Armida Lopez Contreras has been a moving 
force in the GOH's greatly improved drug interdiction effort. 
 She has taken firm control and leadership of the moribund 
National Council to Combat Drug Trafficking and is forcing 
GOH law enforcement agencies to work together.  She has 
spoken forthrightly about drug trafficking corruption and 
worked hard to improve the GOH's interdiction capabilities. 
However, she is not a part of the President's inner circle of 
advisors.  There is an underlying political isolation to her 
role in the government as well.  She possesses enormous 
fortitude and determination to carry out her policy 
responsibilities and to pursue program goals, such as her 
under-funded demand reduction program, "Si Se Puede."  Her 
frustration with government ministries that refuse to carry 
out their work or worse (misdirecting or stealing funds), 
apparently boiled over in this incident.  Finally, she also 
harbors ambitions of running for the Presidency, perhaps even 
in this next election cycle; although her name has not been 
mentioned recently as a possible candidate.  End Comment. 
Palmer