Honduras drug claims compound COVID-19 concerns
2020; Emerald Publishing Limited; Linguagem: Inglês
10.1108/oxan-db252887
ISSN2633-304X
Tópico(s)Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology
ResumoSubject Corruption claims and COVID-19. Significance The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 30 charged Honduras’s former police chief Juan Carlos Bonilla Valladares with drug conspiracy and weapons offences. A statement on the charges notes allegations that the illegal activities were carried out on behalf of President Juan Orlando Hernandez and his brother, Juan Antonio. Long-running allegations are fuelling popular distrust of the Hernandez administration, particularly in the context of mounting concerns over corruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Impacts US aid and financing to Honduras will continue as long as no US criminal investigations are launched into Hernandez himself. Honduras’s support for US migrant deportations may ensure that no such investigations begin while Hernandez is in office. Frequent scandals will deter foreign private investment until serious efforts are made to root out high-level corruption. Any large protests that might take place as lockdown eases would pose a COVID-19 contagion risk, increasing the chances of a second wave.
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