US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA2882

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 002882 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CEN, INL/LP, AND DRL/PHD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, KJUS, KCRM, PHUM, ECON, HO 
SUBJECT: ANTI-CORRUPTION PROSECUTOR IN SAN PEDRO SULA 
ARRESTED FOR ALLEGED LINKS TO ORGANIZED CRIME 
 
1. (U)  On December 1, Ruben Adolfo Reyes, a prosecutor in a 
unit designed to combat corruption in San Pedro Sula was 
arrested by Honduran authorities for his alleged links to 
organized crime. Reyes, who works for the "Common Crime" unit 
of the Public Ministry in San Pedro Sula, was arraigned on 
charges of falsifying public documents and grand theft auto. 
Amazingly, eleven months ago the court of justice in 
Tegucigalpa issued the arrest warrant for Reyes, but it was 
not until last week that they "realized" he had been working 
as a prosecutor in San Pedro Sula.  The arrest warrant for 
Reyes was issued on January 3, 2003, more than five months 
before he accepted the position of prosecutor on May 14. 
 
2. (U)  According to the press reports, in March of this 
year, when the selection process for the position as 
prosecutor began, the institution responsible for checking 
his criminal background, the Criminal Investigative Police 
(DGIC), relayed to the Public Ministry that Reyes had no 
previous criminal record.  (Note:  The Miami Herald reported 
that Reyes' position was that of the chief of the government 
anti-corruption office in northern Honduras, which is not 
correct.  End Note.)  Officials are downplaying this 
situation as merely a lack of coordination among 
institutions, and classifying it as a "processing error." 
 
3. (SBU) Comment:  This error made by DGIC at the minimum 
demonstrates gross negligence and, in the worst case 
scenario, suggests that someone within the organization 
knowingly turned a blind eye when performing Reyes' 
background check.  It is possible that Reyes' arrest is not 
merely a timely coincidence, but rather the result of Reyes 
agitating other corrupt officials that thought it better he 
be removed.  End Comment. 
Pierce