Global Courant
San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
As an excess that adds to the long list of waste of funds in the National Congress, various sectors described the trip to Russia of a large commission of deputies headed by Luis Redondo and Carlos Zelaya.
But it is not only the waste of public resources, but also the deep crisis in which Redondo and Libertad y Refundación (Libre) keep the Legislative Branch subjugated. The images of the traveling deputies appeared on social networks, while they were waiting for their flight that would take them to Moscow, arousing indignation and repudiation among Hondurans.
In one of the photographs, Redondo and four other deputies can be seen discussing the tour, for which until now it is not known who is paying for its expenses. “It is a slap in the face to the Honduran people. This is a cost for the people who in the end are the ones who pay for this,” said labor leader José Luis Baquedano.
For a month now, the National Congress has been responsible for electing the attorney general; however, given Redondo’s incompetence, the election remains in limbo because he has not achieved consensus with the country’s different political forces, causing severe damage to the institutions. .
“We regret that the priority of some deputies is to vacation and go on a big holiday abroad, knowing that there are greater needs here,” condemned the nationalist deputy María Antonieta Mejía.
He reproached that “making use of the resources of the Honduran people, deputies are touristing in Russia.”
In the opinion of the liberal parliamentarian Kathia Crivelli, it was not the time for the deputies to travel without first resolving the crisis in Congress, nor was it necessary to take so many people.
For his part, economist Martín Barahona stated that the deputies’ excursion will be unproductive, because Honduras does not maintain commercial relations with Russia.
Excursion
Less than a week after Redondo announced the trip, the commission made up of 16 deputies, most of them belonging to Libertad y Refundación (Libre), left the country in two groups.
The first group led by Luis Redondo, Carlos Zelaya, Rafael Sarmiento, Rasel Tomé, Manuel Rodríguez, Edgardo Castro, Scherly Arriaga, Fabricio Sandoval and Grimaldi Paz, who left the Palmerola air terminal on Wednesday afternoon.
While yesterday, the second group of parliamentarians began their trip made up of the liberals Rosario Tejeda and Kritza Pérez, Mauricio Castellanos substitute of the PSH, Carlos Raudales of the Christian Democracy, and Rolando Barahona who is independent. The purpose of the trip is still unknown, since there is no agenda or itinerary.
Trip quote
Data collected by LA PRENSA confirmed that the cost of an air ticket from Honduras to Moscow ranges between $5,430 in tourist class and $13,337 in business class.
That is to say, the trip would cost around L134,989 per person, adding up to a total of L2,159,836.80 traveling in tourist class.
While per person in business class each ticket has a cost of L 331,557.82, adding a total for the entire delegation of L5,304,925.12. The millionaire amounts added for the cost of air tickets do not include the travel expenses granted to parliamentarians.
