Inter-agency coordination is a key ingredient to be taken into account in the system for fighting corruption, as it streamlines processes, avoids duplication of effort and information, and makes the mechanisms of all the institutions involved more effective.

With the goal of building collective momentum and achieving more effective and fluid mechanisms for receiving, managing, analysing, utilising and exchanging the information that sustains criminal proceedings, key institutions of the Honduran State have forged an “Inter-Agency Agreement to Fight Corruption”.

The agreement was signed on 8th April at the Presidential Palace by the heads of the Judiciary, the General Coordination Office of the Government, the Office of the General Prosecutor of the Republic, the National Banking and Insurance Commission, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, the High Court of Auditors, and the Executive Directorate of Revenues. The President of the Republic, Juan Orlando Hernández, and the President of the National Congress, Mauricio Oliva, also signed the agreement as Honorary Witnesses.

The act was attended by the European Union Ambassador to Honduras, Ketil Karlsen, and, from EUROsociAL, representing the FIIAPP, the adviser on justice issues, José de la Mata, and Ignacio Soleto, Coordinator of the Public Finance and Democratic Governance Area.

The document calls for creation of an Inter-Agency Anti-Corruption Committee (MIA in its Spanish acronym), with one representative from each signatory institution, and the launch of joint activities—such as the preparation of a national strategy to combat, prevent, investigate and punish corruption crimes; and the establishment of expeditious and secure information exchange mechanisms based on unified information shared by the signatory institutions, which will allow access to data in a rapid and effective way. In addition, the participating institutions must create mechanisms for establishing effective controls and preventing persons suspected of committing crimes from acquiring property or money, or founding companies or transferring funds abroad.

The technical work that led to the signing of the agreement was supported by EUROsociAL, a European Union cooperation programme. Through different specialised assistance activities, exchange visits and analytical work, the Honduran institutions were able to learn about the experiences of their European and Latin American peers. These activities took place within the framework of the inter-agency coordination working line aimed at combating corruption associated with economic and financial crimes, coordinated by the FIIAPP with the COMJIB as its operational partner.