Honduran judge finds military chiefs not guilty in abuse of power case for exiling Zelaya

Honduran judge clears military chiefs of charges

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — A Supreme Court judge on Tuesday found Honduras’ top military commanders not guilty of abuse of power for ordering soldiers to escort President Manuel Zelaya out of the country at gunpoint June 28.

Court President Jorge Rivera said in a statement that “prosecutors failed to prove the military chiefs acted with malice.”

Rivera had ordered all six members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to remain in Honduras and testify after they were charged last week with abuse of power. The charge carries a sentence of three to six years in prison.

Rivera said in his ruling that the commanders were justified because their actions were aimed at preserving peace and they did not intend to cause the leftist president any harm.

The prosecutor’s case did not question Zelaya’s ouster itself, only whether the military went too far in flying him to Costa Rica after he was arrested by soldiers in a dispute over a constitutional referendum.

Those named by the prosecutor include the head of the armed forces, Gen. Romeo Vasquez, and five other top-ranking military officers, including the air force chief, Gen. Javier Prince, and the navy commander, Gen. Juan Pablo Rodriguez.

The decision came a day before President-elect Porfirio Lobo is scheduled to be sworn into office and Zelaya is expected to leave the Brazilian Embassy, where he has been holed up since sneaking back into Honduras in September.

Zelaya plans to travel to the Dominican Republic as a private citizen Wednesday, under an accord signed by Lobo and Dominican President Leonel Fernandez.

Lobo said he would accompany Fernandez to the embassy when Zelaya exits the diplomatic mission. “Can you imagine starting a term with a president locked up in an embassy … that is not fair for a president,” Lobo said.

Zelaya still faces treason and abuse-of-power charges, although Lobo has said he supports granting amnesty both to Zelaya and to all of those involved in the coup.

Lobo said at a news conference Tuesday that he believes the United States will re-establish normal relations with Honduras as soon as he is sworn into office and that he is confident other countries will soon follow suit.

“With the United States, starting tomorrow everything will be normalized … they are going to state that to me officially tomorrow, when I am president,” Lobo said.

The U.S. Embassy in Honduras had no immediate comment on that claim.

Only the presidents of three other countries are scheduled to attend the inauguration: Taiwan, Panama and the Dominican Republic.