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 case was also connected to complaints made by Indigenous and environmental leader Berta Cáceres, who had raised concerns about possible irregularities involving the project before she was murdered in March 2016. However, in May 2024, a specialized court handling corruption cases acquitted Martínez Lozano after determining that his criminal responsibility had not been proven. Other individuals involved in the case were convicted of offenses including fraud and document forgery.
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 allegations against López involve resources initially designated for a social electrification initiative in Opatoro, La Paz, which were purportedly redirected to back private building ventures in San Pedro Sula. The ex-congresswoman is undergoing legal proceedings while remaining at liberty under precautionary measures.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano — Resumen Latinoamericano
