Marcelo Chimirri, a nephew of the deposed president of Honduras

Manuel Zelaya José Manuel Zelaya Rosales (born 20 September 1952)Encyclopædia BritannicaManuel Zelaya/ref> is a Honduran politician who was President of Honduras from 27 January 2006 until 28 June 2009, and who since January 2022 serves as the first Fir ...

, is a former General Manager of the state-owned telecom company

Hondutel Hondutel (Empresa Hondureña de Telecomunicaciones), is the Honduras government's telecommunications company. It has a monopoly on international calls. History Creation The organization was created on May 7, 1976, as an autonomous organizat ...

. Chimirri was appointed as the head of the state-owned telecom company

after his uncle became president in 2006. According to Reporters Without Borders, on May 8, 2006, Chimirri attacked reporter Octavio Carvajal, an action Carvajal attributed to embarrassing questions and criticism he had made about Chimirri. Chimirri reportedly grabbed Carvajal by the throat and said "I am not intimidating you because I am not someone who makes threats - I act and I execute... the president’s office is irritated by all the questions you have been asking." Financial irregularities with Hondutel were later reported in the Honduran media. Marcelo Chimirri sued the journalists. In January 2008, the United States denied Chimirri a visa, citing evidence of corruption. In April 2009, Latin Node Inc., an American company, pleaded guilty in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

to making improper payments to Hondutel, "knowing that some, or all of those funds, would be passed on as bribes to officials of Hondutel". Three months later, Chimirri was arrested by the Dirección General de Investigación Criminal (DGNI) after being indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and abuse of authority, charges which he denies. Chimirri remains in prison. In addition to Chimirri, Oscar Danilo Santos (the former manager of Hondutel), Jorge Rosa, and James Lagos were all charged in connection with allegedly committing crimes of abuse of authority, fraud and bribery having received bribes of $1.09 million U.S. from a Latin Node in exchange for Hondutel providing that carrier lower rates than other firms. Auditor Julio Daniel Flores was charged for the lesser crime of violation of duties of officers.

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