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.
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.
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 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