In May a UN delegation visited the country to advance with the negotiations for the installation of the International Commission against Impunity in Honduras (CICIH in Spanish). Unlike its predecessor, the Mission of Support against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH in Spanish), which gathered information and forwarded it to the corresponding prosecutorial unit to be submitted to justice, the new institution will be in charge of investigating on its own and will be able to denounce corruption cases before the local courts.

The government also empowered the Specialized Prosecution Unit against Corruption Networks (UFERCO in Spanish) to take criminal action against public and private sector actors in cases of political corruption. However, UN Resident Coordinator Alice Shackleford stressed that CICIH could encounter obstacles if the laws regulating – and in some cases even limiting – the fight against corruption are not modified, in particular, the definition of political crime in the recently approved Amnesty Law and the articles of the Penal Code related to corruption offenses.

The government expressed confidence that there will be optimal conditions for the installation of the CICIH, which is expected to start functioning by the end of 2022 and have a mandate that extends for at least two presidential terms. The private sector, represented through the Business Council, also expressed its support.