Hondutel
Encyclopedia
Hondutel is Honduras
' government owned telecommunication
s company.
It has a monopoly
on international calls. FBI investigations retrieved evidence of large-scale corruption in Hondutel and the company has been investigated by Honduran prosecutors since 2007.
' telecommunication system, and to achieve a better efficiency in its administration and profitability.
s (PCS) networks.
It competes with companies such as Luxembourg
's Millicom
and Mexico's juggernaut América Móvil
. In October it extended to the Sula Valley including the cities of San Pedro Sula
, La Lima
, Villanueva
and surrounding communities. In December it extended coverage to La Ceiba
.
Currently it offers Mobile phone coverage in the cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, Olancho, Progress and Copan and surrounding areas.
appointed his nephew
Marcelo Chimirri
as deputy president of the state-owned Hondutel.
FBI Criminal Division's Fraud Section revealed that Latin Node Inc., an American company, had illegal dealings with Hondutel executives The affair was later reported in the Honduran media. Marcelo Chimirri unsuccessfully sued journalists for libel that had published the corruption scandal.
An unknown individual posted various recordings of high government officials on YouTube
, possibly implicating them in a corruption scandal concerning Hondutel. After Zelaya made a complaint to the police, they launched an investigation to find who had made the recordings which are considered espionage
and a violation of Honduras' privacy laws. The investigation included searching the home of Marcelo Chimirri
and both his office at Hondutel and those of other members of staff, the former was an action condemned by Zelaya. On November 4. Marcelo Chimirri resigned from his post at Hondutel in January 2007. In January 2008 the United States embassy confirmed that Chimirri would not be allowed to enter the US.
In May 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
decided to release the names of officials A, B, and C. Honduran investigators were going to visit the United States to seek evidence collected by the United States.
Apart from Chimirri Oscar Danilo Santos (the former manager of Hondutel), Jorge Rosa, and James Lagos are all charged in connection with allegedly committing crimes of abuse of authority, fraud and bribery having received bribes of 1.09 million U.S. dollars of an international carrier in exchange for Hondutel give them lower rates than other firms. While the auditor Julio Daniel Flores was charged for the lesser crime of violation of duties of officers.
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
' government owned telecommunication
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s company.
It has a monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
on international calls. FBI investigations retrieved evidence of large-scale corruption in Hondutel and the company has been investigated by Honduran prosecutors since 2007.
History
The organization was created on May 7, 1976, as an autonomous organization responsible for the moderization of HondurasHonduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
' telecommunication system, and to achieve a better efficiency in its administration and profitability.
Mission
To contribute welfare of Honduran society by providing efficient and timely, Telecommunication Services and Information Technology, competitive price and quality, compliance with sectoral policies established by the State of Honduras.Recent history
IN June 2007, Hondutel launched its first of a series of Personal Communications ServicePersonal Communications Service
At the most basic level Personal Communications Service or PCS describes a set of wireless communications capabilities that allows some combination of terminal mobility, personal mobility, and service profile management...
s (PCS) networks.
It competes with companies such as Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
's Millicom
Millicom
Millicom International Cellular, also known as Tigo, is a mobile phone network provider in America and Africa. Based in Luxembourg, the company provides mobile services in 14 countries. With operations across Central America, South America, South-east Asia, and Africa, using GSM, CDMA and TDMA on...
and Mexico's juggernaut América Móvil
América Móvil
América Móvil is a Mexican telecommunication company headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. It is the fourth largest mobile network operator in terms of equity subscribers, one of the largest corporations in Latin America, and the world. America Movil is a Fortune 500 company...
. In October it extended to the Sula Valley including the cities of San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula
San Pedro Sula is a city in Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, in the Valle de Sula , about 60 km south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean. With an estimated population of 638,259 people in the main municipality, and 802,598 in its metro area , it is the second...
, La Lima
La Lima
La Lima is a municipality in the Honduran department of Cortés. It is home to the corporate headquarters of the Tela Railroad Company, a subsidiary of Chiquita. The city is divided into two halves, La Lima Vieja, located on the western side of the Chamelecon River, and La Lima Nueva, located on...
, Villanueva
Villanueva, Cortés
Villanueva, Cortés Department, Honduras, was a little town but today is a city with a lot of banks, for example Banco de Occiente, Citi Bank, Electra...
and surrounding communities. In December it extended coverage to La Ceiba
La Ceiba
La Ceiba is a port city on the northern coast of Honduras in Central America. It is located on the southern edge of the Caribbean, forming part of the south eastern boundary of the Gulf of Honduras...
.
Currently it offers Mobile phone coverage in the cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, La Ceiba, Olancho, Progress and Copan and surrounding areas.
Corruption scandal
President Manuel ZelayaManuel Zelaya
José Manuel Zelaya Rosales is a politician who was President of Honduras from January 27, 2006 until June 28, 2009. The eldest son of a wealthy businessman, he inherited his father's nickname "Mel," and, before entering politics, was involved in his family's logging and timber businesses.Elected...
appointed his nephew
Nephew
Nephew is a son of one's sibling or sibling-in-law, and niece is a daughter of one's sibling or a sibling-in-law. Sons and daughters of siblings-in-law are also informally referred to as nephews and nieces respectively, even though there is no blood relation...
Marcelo Chimirri
Marcelo Chimirri
Marcelo Chimirri, a nephew of the deposed president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya, is a former General Manager of the state-owned telecom company Hondutel...
as deputy president of the state-owned Hondutel.
FBI Criminal Division's Fraud Section revealed that Latin Node Inc., an American company, had illegal dealings with Hondutel executives The affair was later reported in the Honduran media. Marcelo Chimirri unsuccessfully sued journalists for libel that had published the corruption scandal.
An unknown individual posted various recordings of high government officials on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, possibly implicating them in a corruption scandal concerning Hondutel. After Zelaya made a complaint to the police, they launched an investigation to find who had made the recordings which are considered espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
and a violation of Honduras' privacy laws. The investigation included searching the home of Marcelo Chimirri
Marcelo Chimirri
Marcelo Chimirri, a nephew of the deposed president of Honduras Manuel Zelaya, is a former General Manager of the state-owned telecom company Hondutel...
and both his office at Hondutel and those of other members of staff, the former was an action condemned by Zelaya. On November 4. Marcelo Chimirri resigned from his post at Hondutel in January 2007. In January 2008 the United States embassy confirmed that Chimirri would not be allowed to enter the US.
In May 2009, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama....
decided to release the names of officials A, B, and C. Honduran investigators were going to visit the United States to seek evidence collected by the United States.
Apart from Chimirri Oscar Danilo Santos (the former manager of Hondutel), Jorge Rosa, and James Lagos are all charged in connection with allegedly committing crimes of abuse of authority, fraud and bribery having received bribes of 1.09 million U.S. dollars of an international carrier in exchange for Hondutel give them lower rates than other firms. While the auditor Julio Daniel Flores was charged for the lesser crime of violation of duties of officers.