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INSIDECOSTARICA.COM
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CENTRAL AMERICA
NEWS
| Thursday
11 November 2010 |
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Honduran
Minister
Removed
after
Corruption
Scandal
TEGUCIGALPA
-
The
Secretary
of
Industry
and
Trade of
Honduras,
Oscar
Escalante,
was
removed
Wednesday
from
office
amid a
scandal
alleging
that he
received
about 40
thousand
dollars
in
handouts
to
remodel
his
office.
Escalante
shall be
removed
from
office
while
investigating
the
situation
and
instead
Deputy
Juan
José
Cruz
will
occupy
his
position,
according
to
Bladimir
Bacca,
presidential
spokesman
After
several
reports
published
this
week by
the
press,
Escalante
admitted
having
asked
for a
donation
from the
Honduran
Council
of
Private
Enterprise
to
restore
his
office.
The
president
of the
Honduran
Council
of
Private
Enterprise,
Santiago
Ruiz,
confirmed
the
signing
of a
contract
with the
Secretary
of
Industry
and
Commerce
in the
amount
of 38
thousand
dollars
to
undertake
the
redesigning.
According
to
newspaper
El
Heraldo,
Escalante
ordered
to build
a fine
wood bar
and
walls of
his
office
were
plated
porcelain,
copper,
glass
tile and
stainless
steel.
In
addition,
the
curtains
were
brought
from
Spain,
at a
cost of
more
than 15
thousand
dollars.
The
National
Anti-Corruption
Council,
composed
of civil
society
organizations
and
other
sectors,
asked
President
Porfirio
Lobo to
dismiss
Escalante
for
violating
the Code
of
Ethics
prohibiting
a public
servant
to
accept
royalties.
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