Honduras Ex-President Porfirio Lobo Sosa Banned From Entering the U.S. for Allegedly Accepting Bribes From Drug Traffickers

The U.S. has banned Honduras ex-president Porfirio Lobo Sosa from entering into the U.S. following allegations of accepting bribes from drug traffickers.

Al Jazeera reported that the announcement was made by the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, July 20, an indicator of the systemic corruption in Honduras from drug trafficking. The immediate family of the former Honduras president will also no longer be allowed to travel to the U.S.

According to Al Jazeera, it applies to former Honduras First Lady Rosa Elena Bonilla, who allegedly misused "public funds for her personal benefit," and to their children.

Honduras Ex-President and Family Banned From Traveling the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted that "these designations reaffirm U.S. commitment to combating the corruption and disregard for the rule of law that hinders progress in Honduras," Reuters reported.

Porfirio Lobo Sosa's wife was accused of misusing a fund amounting to $779,000 that came from international donations and public coffers.

The said fund was meant for a social program during Porfirio Lobo Sosa's term, but the former lady allegedly used the funds "for her personal benefit and her children." The former president's wife had been sentenced to prison before a judge ordered a new trial in 2020.

Meanwhile, their son Fabio Lobo was sentenced to 24 years of imprisonment in the U.S. in 2017, after he pleaded guilty in 2016 to a U.S. drug charge.

Fabio Lobo was reported to use his father's connections and his own connections to drug traffickers and corrupt police officers to bring a large amount of cocaine into the U.S.

The travel ban issued to the ex-president of Honduras and his family came as Porfirio Lobo Sosa is reportedly being investigated over suspicion of laundering illegal drug money as part of a wider probe into his administration from 2010 to 2014.

Despite the reports of corruption involving the Honduras ex-president and his family, Blinken noted that Porfirio Lobo Sosa was not yet convicted.

U.S. State Department Bans 55 Central Americans From Traveling to the U.S.

The U.S. State Department earlier released a list involving 55 Central Americans who were stripped of their rights to travel into the United States.

Apart from the ex-president of Honduras, also included in the list was the former president of Guatemala, a handful of Salvadoran cabinet officials, and more than a dozen sitting Honduran legislators, who have allegedly engaged in corruption or anti-democratic acts, The Hill reported.

"Overall it's a good solid start, I think the list sends a good message of the Biden administration's commitment and focus to support anti-corruption efforts in the region," Adriana Beltrán said.

Beltrán is the current director of citizen security at hemispheric human rights think tank, WOLA. The Hill further noted that several Central American lawyers and business leaders were also included in the list.

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Written By: Joshua Summers

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