PBI-Honduras concerned that court delays sentencing in the Fraud on the Gualcarque case until August 2

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On June 14, PBI-Honduras posted: “We express concern about the rescheduling of the hearing to individualize the sentence in the Gualcarque Fraud case. Río Blanco and @COPINHHONDURAS [the Civic Council of Grassroots and Indigenous Organizations in Honduras] have the right to access a full #justice. We show solidarity with those who were at the sit-in today.”

That same day, the Spanish news agency EFE reported: “On May 3, the Sentencing Court found [DESA hydroelectric dam company manager] Roberto David Castillo and [ENEE electrical power company official] Carolina Lizeth Castillo guilty of fraud, and Raúl Pineda, former mayor of San Francisco de Ojuera, western department of Santa Barbara, for falsification of public documents and usurpation of functions.”

That article adds: “However, to the disappointment of the family and activists, the court in Tegucigalpa rescheduled the sentencing that was expected this Friday [June 14] for August 2, because ‘most of the defendants’ defense attorneys did not appear,’ court spokeswoman Barbara Castillo told EFE.”

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has previously explained: “This trial seeks accountability for those involved in the network of corruption that allowed for fraudulent concessions of the Gualcarque River. These concessions are still in force in the territories of the Lenca community, violating their rights to land and water. The complaint is linked to the 2016 murder of renowned environmental and human rights defender Berta Cáceres. This trial is also emblematic because it is the first time in the country that Indigenous communities — direct victims of these criminal acts — have become parties to a corruption case for violation of their human rights.”

PBI-Honduras has accompanied the Civic Council of Grassroots and Indigenous Organizations in Honduras (COPINH) since May 2016.

Further reading: PBI-Honduras observes ‘Fraud on the Gualcarque’ trial in Tegucigalpa (August 3, 2022) and PBI-Honduras observes COPINH sit-in following conviction of three in the ‘Fraud on Gualcarque’ case (May 3, 2024).

#FraudeSobreElGualcarque

COPINH tweet: “Gallery of the Lenca people in front of the Corruption Sentencing Court, demanding the conviction of those guilty in the case #FraudeSobreElGualcarque No more impunity, no more corruption!”


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