The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), the American University Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS), and the Inter-American Dialogue are pleased to invite you to this event.
Just over a month ago, Honduras’ Special Attorney’s Unit Against Impunity and Corruption (UFECIC) and the Mission of Support Against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH) unveiled a massive embezzlement case implicating 38 officials and congressmen in stealing 282 million lempiras (about $11 million dollars) from government coffers. Aptly titled “Pandora,” the case is the largest ever to be investigated by MACCIH, which was launched by the Organization of American States (OAS) in February 2016 to support Honduras’ efforts to combat entrenched corruption.
Almost two and a half years old, MACCIH faces many challenges: its former chief resigned in February of this year, citing obstruction efforts by the Hernandez administration and lack of institutional support from the OAS. A month after his resignation, the Honduran Congress passed a “Seizure of Assets” law proposed by Hernandez’ National Party that prevents prosecutors from seizing assets of certain officials charged with embezzlement. In June, the OAS named a new head of MACCIH, but questions remain regarding the future of this innovative body as it seeks to emulate the success of CICIG in neighboring Guatemala.
To assess MACCIH’s past progress and future prospects in combating corruption and impunity in Honduras, WOLA is pleased to present “Corruption in Honduras: Can MACCIH Make a Dent?” in partnership with the Inter-American Dialogue and with the American University’s Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS), which recently released a two-year report on MACCIH’s progress.
Follow this event on Twitter at #MACCIHProgress and @The_Dialogue, @WOLA_org and @AU_CLALS.
Event Details
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. EDT
Inter-American Dialogue
1155 15th Street NW, Suite 800,Washington, DC 20005
Opening Remarks:
Michael Shifter, President, Inter-American Dialogue (@MichaelShifter)
Speakers:
Ana Maria Calderon, Coordinator of MACCIH’s Division of Prevention and Combatting of Corruption
Luis Santos, Head of Special Attorney’s Unit Against Impunity and Corruption (UFECIC), Honduras (To be confirmed)
Chuck Call, Associate Professor of International Peace and Conflict Resolution, American University; Director of Center for Latin American & Latino Studies (CLALS) “Monitoring MACCIH and Anti-Impunity Efforts in Honduras” project (@call4pax)
Moderator:
Adriana Beltran, Director for Citizen Security, Washington Office on Latin America (@Adriana_WOLA)
Registration begins at 9:00AM. Please note that this event will be held in English and Spanish without interpretation.