Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09TEGUCIGALPA101
2009-02-17 14:32:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Cable title:  

AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ON NEWLY ELECTED CHIEF

Tags:  KJUS PGOVE KCRM EFIN EAID EINV HO 
pdf how-to read a cable
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000101 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2019
TAGS: KJUS PGOVE KCRM EFIN EAID EINV HO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ON NEWLY ELECTED CHIEF
JUSTICE JORGE RIVERA AVILES

Classified By: AMBASSADOR HUGO LLORENS, REASON 1.4 (B & D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 000101

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2019
TAGS: KJUS PGOVE KCRM EFIN EAID EINV HO
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S COURTESY CALL ON NEWLY ELECTED CHIEF
JUSTICE JORGE RIVERA AVILES

Classified By: AMBASSADOR HUGO LLORENS, REASON 1.4 (B & D)


1. (C) Summary: Ambassador called on newly-elected Supreme
Court Chief Justice Jorge Rivera Aviles on February 11.
Rivera discussed his priority goals of reducing case backlogs
and increasing the efficiency of oral case procedures. The
Ambassador and Rivera agreed that organized crime and drug
trafficking were special threats to both countries and that
we should work together through the bilateral Merida
Initiative task force against these scourges. Rivera noted
that protecting international investors and supporting the
rule of law was important to the future of Honduras and to
him personally, and the Ambassador asked him to establish a
mechanism to bring specific cases to his attention. The
Ambassador also brought up the existence of human rights
cases, which could also be
considered through this mechanism. Rivera agreed to host a
meeting with the entire Supreme Court with a group of senior
embassy officials to discuss issues of mutual concern. End
Summary.

Rivera's Internal Goals
--------------

2. (C) Ambassador called on newly-elected Supreme Court Chief
Justice Jorge Rivera Aviles on February 11. The Ambassador
congratulated Rivera on his election and stressed that the
USG has always had good relations with the Court and that we
looked forward to working with him. The Ambassador said the
previous court had done a good job, but that there was a
general recognition that the current Court was less political
and more independent. Obviously, civil society had been
intimately involved in the selection process of the new
magistrates and now had high expectations and would demand
accountability from the new court. Rivera, a member of the
Liberal Party, was very complimentary of the work of
out-going National Party Chief Justice Vilma Morales, and
said he would continue with many of her initiatives. He
noted that before Morales, there was a backlog of 90 percent
of the cases, but Morales had managed to reduce it to 40
percent. Rivera said his goal was to reach 30 percent.

Rivera also informed us that oral cases were seldom tried
correctly in most of Honduras, and one of his major goals was
to implement a mechanism to properly try cases orally
according to the established legal procedures. Rivera also
recounted his experiences on the Proposing Committee for the
Attorney General (AG) and Assistant AG. He said the
negotiations were difficult and long, but that the group had
come to a consensus on the best five candidates of the 25
proposed.

Areas for Bilateral Cooperation
--------------

3. (C) The Ambassador suggested that there were several areas
in which the USG and the court could work together. He
encouraged Rivera to designate a point of contact to
participate in the bilateral Merida Initiative task force,
and Rivera responded that Minister of Security Rodas Gamero
had already informed him of the task force and invited him to
participate. Rivera suggested that globalization has
heightened the problems of organized crime and drug
trafficking in Honduras, and said there were many judicial
problems in these areas. The Ambassador agreed that both
countries were threatened by these scourges and that only by
working together could we diminish the danger. Rivera
suggested that increased cooperation and intelligence-sharing
would be key. The Ambassador noted the attention the USG was
paying to the Mosquitia, outlining the educational and health
programs that we are sponsoring in the region, and opined
that this remote area had been ignored too long. Rivera
agreed and said that he was sending a "National Judge" to
Puerto Lempira to try the most important cases, in an attempt
to diminish the influence of the locals on case outcomes.
Rivera told us that there were six National Judge slots in
existence, but only one of them was filled. He noted these
positions were very important and that he would ensure all

TEGUCIGALP 00000101 002 OF 002


six were filled as soon as possible.

AmCit Land Disputes and Human Rights Cases
--------------

4. (C) Rivera then brought up the idea that investment
(domestic and foreign) was vital for Honduras' future and he
believed it was important to protect investors and enforce
the rule of law. The Ambassador agreed wholeheartedly and
told Rivera that there were a substantial number of land
disputes involving American citizens, including some that
could be considered expropriations, moving through the
Honduran judicial system very slowly, and undermining the
image of a safe investment environment here. Similarly, the
Ambassador said that many Honduran civil society groups,
international NGOs, U.S. based organizations and members of
the U.S. Congress have requested that the Embassy bring human
rights cases to the attention of high-level Honduran
officials. The Ambassador asked if we could establish a
mechanism for bringing some of these cases to Rivera's
attention, and he agreed enthusiastically. They also agreed
to set up a meeting between the entire court and senior
embassy officials to discuss issues of mutual concern.

Comment
--------------

5. (C) Rivera is a straight-forward man, professing a deep
desire to work towards improving the efficiency of the
judiciary and rooting out corruption. Our first impression
is that he will be a good partner. End Comment.
LLORENS