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Carlos Zelaya resigned as secretary of the National Congress before the video was released in which he is seen negotiating with drug traffickers.
Members of the Libre party agreed that former Secretary of the National Congress, Carlos Zelaya, must answer for his actions after a video was released showing that he met with drug traffickers to discuss bribery and financing issues during 2013.
Gilberto Ríos, leader of Libre, and deputy Rasel Tomé agreed that the brother of former president Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009) should be investigated and, if evidence is found against him, prosecuted.
“We hope that more evidence is presented by the party that accuses him, the Prosecutor’s Office in this case, if other indications can be found that he had something to do with this illegal act, and if so, he must answer to justice. We are not going to protect any leader of the party,” said Gilberto Ríos in Noticieros Hoy Mismo.
For his part, Rasel Tomé regretted that the entire party had been affected by the actions of Zelaya, who, in his opinion, should answer for his actions.
“In the case of Carlos Zelaya, he will be the one who must answer for his actions. He is no longer a secretary of Congress or a deputy of the Libre party. President Xiomara Castro has been president of Honduras for four years and she must respect that mandate to the people,” said Rasel.
Shame
Both Rasel Tomé and Gilberto Ríos stressed that Libre’s militants have no reason to be ashamed of the possible actions of one of its members.
“There are no acts of corruption here that we as a government can be ashamed of,” said Ríos, who also denied that the party had received funding from drug traffickers.
“Aspects of this type (drug trafficking financing) were never discussed in the Libre party. Collections were made in order to register and publish its statutes. Everything was done in a transparent manner,” he said.
Xiomara Castro did condemn Carlos Zelaya’s meeting with drug traffickers
For his part, Congressman Ramón Barrios stressed that President Xiomara Castro, during the national broadcast on the night of September 3, did condemn her brother-in-law’s meeting with drug traffickers, and that she also demanded an investigation by the corresponding entity.
“He demanded that the Public Prosecutor’s Office take action against those involved in drug trafficking without any distinction, with the speed required by the investigation being conducted by the MP,” he said.
Video of Carlos Zelaya with drug traffickers
On September 3, the investigative site Insight Crime published a video showing that Carlos Zelaya met with drug traffickers to do business.
In the ‘narco video’, as it was called, the protagonists, including Zelaya, Carlos ‘El Negro’ Lobo, Ramón Matta Waldurrada, Devis and Javier Rivera Maradiaga and Héctor Fernández Rosa, alias ‘Don H’, hold a conversation about money, bribes and meetings with former President Zelaya.
In one part of the video, the traffickers claimed that they met with Manuel Zelaya. Carlos Zelaya can also be heard saying that he will give part of the money to his brother and that they will divide the other half.