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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon, Thread Video
Honduras - The Source - The Root - etc

SDNY COURTHOUSE, Nov 8 – Tony Hernandez, the brother of Honduras' president Juan Orlando Hernandez, after a jury trial was found guilty just after noon on October 18 on all four counts of guns and drug running and false statements. Now the IMF is bragging about JOH.

Inner City Press which has lived tweeted the whole trial leading to strange replies from Juan Orlando Hernandez himself who tweeted a photo of a gun with the name Trump on it, has asked for JOH's response.

  UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has refused to answer Inner City Press' questions about his meeting(s) with JOH, and about a four person panel he sent to the country to support JOH.

 Now on November 8, the International Monetary Fund has blithely issued the following statement, including referring to a meeting with JOH as if this trial and the evidence in it never occurred: "An International Monetary Fund (IMF) team led by Mr. Esteban Vesperoni visited Honduras from October 28 to November 8 to conduct discussions on the First Review of Honduras’s IMF-supported program under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and the Credit Facility Arrangement (CFA). Mr. Vesperoni issued the following statement in Tegucigalpa today:  “An IMF team and the Honduran authorities reached a staff-level agreement on the first review of the economic program supported by a two-year Stand-by and Credit Facility arrangement.  “Honduras has made important progress implementing its economic program, which seeks to foster inclusive growth through prudent macroeconomic policies; and structural and governance reforms. Implementation of policies under the program will uphold macroeconomic performance.  “Honduras has experienced a moderation in economic growth during the last quarters, but growth is expected to recover next year, in line with a better global environment. The authorities continue to pursue prudent macroeconomic policies anchored by the Fiscal Responsibility Law. They are convinced that these policies are the right response to foster growth and the well-being of all Hondurans, while reducing poverty and inequality. With this in mind, the authorities are working on expenditures reallocations to protect investment and social spending. They are also committed to maintaining their revenue mobilization efforts to preserve the hard-won gains achieved over the past years.  “The authorities are making progress in their ambitious program of reforms; which has the potential to raise the economy’s growth potential. There were notable advances in the initial phase of the electricity sector reform, which aims at strengthening the institutional framework in the sector. The strengthening of the regulatory agency, the creation of an independent system operator, the efforts by the new management of the company and the Secretary of Finance to improve governance and transparency in the public electricity company (ENEE), and the establishment of an electricity theft task force have the potential to reinforce the institutional framework for an open, competitive and transparent market in the electricity sector; and a sustainable financial position in ENEE. Continued steadfast implementation of the reform plans in the sector remains essential. Strengthening the financial position in ENEE has the potential to create the needed fiscal space to protect infrastructure investment and social spending.  “The authorities have also developed a roadmap to enhance governance and the business climate, including by drafting the new central bank charter, improving the budget process and the quality of public spending, simplifying the regulatory framework, and developing reforms to foster transparency and advance the fight against corruption.  “The mission held discussions with President of the Republic Juan Orlando Hernández, president of Congress Mauricio Oliva, magistrates of the Court of Accounts, members of the economic cabinet, and other senior officials and representatives of civil society, the private sector and the international community. The mission would like to thank the authorities and other counterparts for the excellent discussions; and reiterate that it greatly appreciates their kind hospitality.” 

 Tony Hernandez will now be sentenced on January 17, and 2:30 pm.

  Inner City Press even before the verdict as the UN Spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming in writing, "October 18-1: On Honduras on which you have refused to answer or respond to Inner City Press' as it covers in SDNY the US v Tony Hernandez trial which continues jury deliberations today and has asked you why SG Guterres did not even bring up corruption and drug trafficking when he met president Juan Orlando Hernandez, 1) please immediately describe activities of the UN system and resident coordinator / representative on JOH's current terms and 2) what now are Guterres' belated comments and actions if any on that last night JOH's National Party majority in the Honduran parliament passed a law making itslef immune, and that Honduran police dispersed hundreds of demonstrators with tear gas on Wednesday in Tegucigalpa who demanded the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, suspected by the American courts of collaborating with the drug traffickers?"

  No answer all all.

 The trial began with a bang on October 2 with the charge that already life imprisoned El Chapo Guzman gave the defendant $1 million for this brother, the president. On October 7, sworn witness Alex Ardon described the meeting, with both El Chapo and Tony Hernandez present and the cash in plastic bags, see thread and see below.

The trial is before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge P. Kevin Castel and Inner City Press is live tweeting it. See also Patreon here

 And here the post arrest statement as so far put in to the jury, as uploaded to YouTube by Inner City Press, here. The case is US v. Diaz Morales, 15-cr-00379 (Castel).

Inner City Press will continue to cover this and other SDNY and 2nd Circuit cases - watch this site, and there is more on Patreon, here.