Sunday, May 27, 2012

Investigate Anti-Corruption Prosecutor

Henry Salgado, the anti-corruption Prosecutor, must step aside; that's the request of the Comisión de Reforma de Seguridad Publica.

That is the commission composed of three Hondurans and two foreigners charged to oversee the cleanup of the police, judiciary, and prosecutor's office.

Their first act was to ask for a meeting with the Public Prosecutor, Luis Rubí, to request that he follow recommendation 42 of the official Truth Commission, and put the anti-corruption Prosecutor on leave while his actions over the last several years are investigated.

The commission has no enforcement powers and can only make recommendations. Nonetheless, this is significant for a number of reasons.

In reiterating the Truth Commission recommendation, they noted that Salgado appeared to have not properly done his duty in investigating the Zelaya and Micheletti governments. Specifically, he only investigated and accused officials of the Zelaya administration. and did not investigate acts of corruption in the de facto government.

Rubí announced he would meet with the Comisión de Reforma de Seguridad Publica Monday so that they could discuss their letter and turn over any information they had. Asked if he will open an investigation, he replied:
We have to reach an agreement and follow procedures. We must follow the proper procedures.

Salgado pursued prosecutions against Zelaya and others for corruption, but has either lost those cases in court, or had them dismissed due to procedural improprieties. But Rubí isn't really any better: he has been a particularly ineffective Public Prosecutor, and his office has won few convictions. And then there's his role in the 2009 coup d'etat. It would seem that he should be a target for the commission, not the person in control of whether their recommendations are followed.

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