Oabi

A congressman has introduced a bill to convert properties managed by Honduras's seized-asset office into a nationwide network of emergency shelters for people displaced by disasters, violence, or other crises.

Congress and the Oabi (seized-property office) signed an agreement to establish Congress's first regional office in San Pedro Sula, where lawmakers representing the north and Atlantic coast can meet constituents, with a second property in Tegucigalpa for a regional legislative forum.

Jorge Alberto Cálix Orellana, whose brother Mario José "Cubeta" Cálix was extradited to the US on drug charges, has been appointed director of the OABI, the state agency that administers assets seized from traffickers—a move that prompted a rights lawyer to warn of potential conflicts of interest.

Jorge Alberto Cálix Orellana has been appointed director of Honduras's agency that administers assets seized from drug traffickers, sparking concerns over conflict of interest because his brother Mario José Cálix—a major trafficker extradited to the US in 2024—had substantial property and accounts seized by the same institution.

Honduras's National Anti-Corruption Council accused former OABI director Marco Antonio Zelaya of fraudulent administration over irregularities in a L 26 million (about $1 million) loan to a company under state custody, bypassing required feasibility studies and budget rules.

President Nasry Asfura's government has removed attorney Elizabeth Rodríguez as director of the Office for Administration of Seized Assets (OABI), reassigning her to handle sexual-exploitation issues, with Jorge Cálix set to take over the agency.