Honduran ASJ reports alleged misuse of 1.8 billion lempiras in social funds

The Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) has filed a complaint regarding the alleged mismanagement of over 1.8 billion lempiras in social aid, scholarships, and infrastructure funds between 2023 and 2025. The report, titled ‘Diputados Solidarios’, claims that 50 deputies from the National Congress, primarily from the Libre Party, used discretionary budget lines to manage resources through the Solidarity Administration Fund without proper transparency, control, or legal liquidation.

ASJ noted that while institutions like SEDESOL and FHIS were the official executors, deputies effectively proposed projects and managed their delivery. The investigation found that for food coupons totaling over 187 million lempiras, only 37% had been liquidated. Furthermore, some beneficiaries interviewed by ASJ denied ever receiving the aid.

In response, Deputy Hugo Noé Pino dismissed the allegations as “superficial” and politically motivated, arguing that legislators acted only as intermediaries to request aid from government agencies rather than managing the funds directly. Former Congress President Luis Redondo also rejected the report, stating that the responsibility for executing and liquidating these funds lies with the Executive branch, not the deputies, and called for more concrete evidence of wrongdoing.