Indicted ex-leaders a message to Central America elites

Indicted ex-leaders a message to Central America elites

By KATHERINE CORCORAN
Associated Press

Dec 5, 1:33 PM EST

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- In just three months, three former presidents of Central American countries have been charged with corruption, two of them in the past week as ex-leaders of both Honduras and El Salvador were ordered to stand trial.

The region has always been fraught with scandals involving crooked politicians, but never have investigations hit so high. It's a new indication that these small, yet strategically located countries long known for unpunished corruption may be more willing to go after the powers that be.

The Honduran government announced Thursday that the U.S. has requested extradition of former President Rafael Leonardo Callejas on charges of taking bribes for television contracts through his position as head of the Honduran Soccer Federation.

The same day, a judge in El Salvador ordered former President Francisco Flores to stand trial for allegedly diverting $15 million in donations for earthquake victims to his personal and political party accounts during his 1999-2004 term.

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