Honduran President Nasry Asfura has added a former government official to his team of advisers whose name had been linked to investigations into alleged irregularities in public administration. Martínez Lozano was appointed on April 1, 2026, at the Presidential Palace, although the specific duties he will perform within the executive branch were not initially disclosed.
Martínez Lozano was identified in 2019 in the case known as the Gualcarque Fraud, which was related to the Agua Zarca hydroelectric project. The investigation, led by the former Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) and the Special Prosecutor’s Unit Against Impunity for Corruption (UFECIC), identified possible irregularities in the awarding of contracts to Desarrollos Energéticos S.A. (DESA).
The matter also linked to grievances voiced by Indigenous and environmental activist Berta Cáceres, who had previously pointed out potential irregularities tied to the initiative prior to her assassination in March 2016. Nevertheless, during May 2024, a dedicated anti-corruption tribunal cleared Martínez Lozano of charges upon concluding that his penal culpability remained unestablished. Additional participants implicated in the proceeding were found guilty of crimes encompassing fraud and document falsification.
Between 2016 and 2018, the ex-official was likewise implicated in probes carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Council (CNA) regarding his oversight of the National Electric Power Company (ENEE). One such inquiry pointed to an estimated 120 million lempira deficit stemming from service agreements which, the entity asserted, might never have been executed or could have served as a conduit for embezzling state resources. Martínez Lozano has dismissed these accusations, characterizing them as groundless.
Another investigation presented by the CNA in 2018 examined possible irregularities in the awarding of contracts by the state-owned electricity company that allegedly benefited structures linked to the Rivera Maradiaga family, associated with the group known as Los Cachiros. The allegations included contracts for services that apparently were not performed and payments related to the maintenance of land where no work activity was reportedly recorded.
Martínez Lozano’s arrival on Asfura’s team has once again raised questions about the criteria used to select officials and advisers within the public administration. The appointment follows the designation of former National Party congresswoman Gladys Aurora López as a presidential delegate, despite facing legal proceedings over alleged misuse of public funds.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the case against López involves funds originally allocated to a social electrification project in Opatoro, La Paz, which were allegedly used to finance private construction projects in San Pedro Sula. The former congresswoman is facing the proceedings while free and under precautionary measures.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano — Resumen Latinoamericano
