Honduran President Nasry Asfura has incorporated a former state official into his advisory circle whose background had previously surfaced in probes concerning suspected mismanagement within public administration. Martínez Lozano received his appointment on April 1, 2026, at the Presidential Palace, even though the exact responsibilities he will shoulder inside the executive branch were not initially revealed.
Martínez Lozano was linked back in 2019 to the proceedings known as the Gualcarque Fraud, which connected directly to the Agua Zarca hydroelectric venture. The inquiry, spearheaded by the former Mission to Support the Fight Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) alongside the Special Prosecutor’s Unit Against Impunity for Corruption (UFECIC), uncovered potential corruption 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.
The former official also appeared in investigations conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Council (CNA) between 2016 and 2018 concerning his management of the National Electric Power Company (ENEE). One of those investigations alleged an approximately 120 million lempira loss through service contracts that, according to the organization, may not have been carried out or could have been used to divert public funds. Martínez Lozano has rejected those allegations, describing them as unfounded.
A separate probe released by the CNA back in 2018 looked into potential wrongdoings regarding contract allocations by the state electricity utility, which reportedly favored entities connected to the Rivera Maradiaga family, a clan tied to the syndicate called Los Cachiros. The accusations encompassed agreements for services that seemingly went unfulfilled alongside disbursements tied to land upkeep where zero operational activity was apparently documented.
Martínez Lozano’s incorporation into Asfura’s team has once more sparked debate regarding the standards applied when choosing public officials and advisors for government roles. This designation comes on the heels of former National Party congresswoman Gladys Aurora López being named a presidential delegate, even though she faces ongoing legal proceedings concerning the alleged misappropriation of state 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
