Ousted Honduran President Robs Bank, Paper reports

The Washington Times is reporting that “Honduran officials are investigating allegations that President Manuel Zelaya and his chief of staff stole millions of dollars from the central bank before the military ousted Mr. Zelaya last month, according to a senior Honduran official, government documents and other evidence.”

The report include a bank security video showing officials of the ousted Zelaya administration “entering the bank June 24 and withdrawing large amounts of Honduran currency.”

The money, about $2.2 million was taken, “was driven to the office of Mr. Zelaya's chief of staff, Enrique Flores Lanza, according to depositions by three witnesses to Honduran prosecutors.”

It is thought that Zelaya intended to use the cash in connection with an unconstitutional referendum that, had it been successful, would have allowed Zelaya to serve a second term as president. Honduras’ constitution limits presidents to a single term.

The ousted Zelaya government is represented in the Honduran embassy in Washington by acting spokesman Juan Carlos Montoya, who said, "There are no checks and balances."

The interim government, said Montoya, controls "the media and own the three branches of the state. The day of the coup d'etat, they sent Mr. Zelaya away instead of holding him for a trial. Nothing that comes out of the de facto government has credibility."

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Connecticut Commentary: Red Notes from a Blue State

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