Honduras Makes Pact with OAS to Fix Government Judicial System & Eliminate Corruption

Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernández, has made a pact with an international anti-corruption body to put a stop to criminal networks in Hondura's political systems. Hernandez hopes that this will appease the public's anger over the country's rampant corruption.

According to a report with The Guardian, the Mission to Support the Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (Maccih) will be granted powers to conduct their own investigations on politicians, judges and other forces in authority. Organized crime within state institutions has become one of the chief reasons that Honduras has become one of the world's poorest and most violent countries.

Former Peruvian prime minister Juan Jiménez will head Maccih, and will be backed by the Organisation of American States (OAS).

Last year, Hernández was forced to reveal that the funds used for his 2013 election campaign were embezzled from the country's social security institute. The embezzled funds amounted to some $300m, and the fraud on the president's part accounted for the deaths of thousands. This was due to medical shortages and debilitating quality of health services in the country.

The corruption scandal was an embarrassment to the country, and has incited anger among students, middle-class families, civil society groups and the political opposition. The groups united in protest to demand Hernandez's resignation.

The protest group said that the new team should first work on the much heated social security scandal. There are also some concerns that the new team's war on corruption might be "all talk and no bite." 

Many argue that the new Honduran mission might only work for the benefit of Hernandez. The new mission will operate under the current prosecutor and Supreme Court, both of Hernandez's close allies. 

According to ABC, Hernandez called the agreement something that should be considered "historical." The president said that fighting corruption in the country is considered a mission, given that it is vastly controlled in many areas by gangs.

Honduras has also been named one as one of the most dangerous countries in the world, having one of the highest murder rates, where many crimes go unpunished.

Only time will tell if Honduras will be patient enough to wait for Maccih to carry out its work. While there have been some improvements, many Hondurans view Maccih as "something for show." While the institution has worked for its neighbor, Guatemala, many doubt that it will do the same in Honduras.