HONDURA'S PRESIDENT MANUEL ZELAYA ACCUSED OF CORRUPTION/ PRESIDENTE HONDUREÑO MANUEL ZELAYA ACUSADO DE CORRUPCIÓN.

Vaquero gozón? A happy cowboy?

Today (Sunday, April 12, 2009) The Latin American Herald Tribune carried a story about bribes given by a U.S. telecommunication company called NODE to unnamed Honduran officials. Otto Reich, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Latin America, pointed a finger at Honduran President Manuel Zelaya. This president has been openly couring Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro in the recent past, endangering the commeril relations of his country with the United States.

Part of the story follows:

"Executives of U.S. firm Latin Node were quoted Wednesday in El Nuevo Herald, the Spanish-language sister publication of The Miami Herald, as saying they paid more than $1 million in bribes to unnamed go-betweens “knowing that that money would go to three officials of Hondutel.

The bribes were given in exchange for lucrative contracts with Hondutel, El Nuevo Herald said.The same article, which was picked up Thursday by Honduran dailies, included comments from [Otto] Reich, who said that “President Zelaya has allowed or encouraged these kinds of practices and we will see that he is also behind this.”“None of the (Hondutel) officials is identified in the document wherein the firm declares its guilt, which is signed by Harley Rollins, director of Latin Node,” El Nuevo Herald said. Zelaya neither confirmed nor denied the allegations about corruption at Hondutel". –

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En español,

La esencia de la historia es que una empresa de telecomunicaciones de los Estados Unidos ha admitido haber entregado hasta un millón de dólares a funcionarios Hondureños no identificados, a fin de obtener un contrato en Honduras. Otto Reich, ex- Secretario Adjunto de Estado para América Latina de los Estados Unidos, ha sugerido en la prensa de Miami que el Presidente Zelaya pudiera ser el "beneficiado".

Zelaya es amiguito de Fidel Castro y de Hugo Chávez. Claro, tendremos que esperar los acontecimientos ya que no hay pruebas conocidas contra el vaquero de Tegucigalpa.