Honduran finance minister resigns following wife’s arrest

TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) – Honduran Finance Minister Hector Guillen resigned yesterday, a day after his wife was arrested with the equivalent of more than $57,600 in her vehicle.

Local police stopped Dinora Arambury on Tuesday near Tegucigalpa as she was en route to the city of San Pedro Sula, about 100 miles (161 km) north of the capital.

Arambury was arrested after police found the cash – 1,125,000 Honduran lempiras – a discovery that prompted a media firestorm in the poor Central American country.

“I’ve made the decision to permanently resign my post as finance minister and face up to this situation,” Guillen said on Honduran television.

Guillen, who was named finance minister in February, said the money his wife was transporting consisted of a loan that she planned to use to pay bills related to the bed business she owns in San Pedro Sula.