| Public ministry of Honduras | ||
|---|---|---|
| Acronyms | MPH | |
| Level of Government | National | |
| Type of Organization | Procuraduría Of State | |
| Foundation | 6 January 1994 | |
| Headquarters | Tegucigalpa, M.D.C. | |
| Belong to the | Government | |
| In the charge | Pleaded Óscar Fernando Chinchilla | |
| Website | https://web.archive.org/web/20051023232929/http://www.gob.hn/ | |
Its main functions are to prosecute all types of crimes, to ensure that every citizen follows the Constitution and the law of the land, and to represent, to defend, and to protect the general interests of society. All of the Republic of Honduras is the jurisdiction of the Public Prosecutor's Office. Every citizen has access to this office without any restriction of age, sex, religion, etc.
Prior to 1994, the public entity that represented the state was part of the Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras. The prosecutors were civilians who were politically appointed, and willing to represent themselves before the competent cases to the judicial system. This is how the fiscal legal status was maintained in the trials of written procedures since the 19th century.
The “Law of the Public Prosecutor” was issued during the government of Mr. Rafael Leonardo Callejas by the National Congress of Honduras. In 1994 new fiscal agents and the DIC (Directorate of Criminal Investigation), a new investigative police, where put in place replacing the controversial DNI (National Directorate of Investigation). United with the forensic medicine scientific branch, they would modernize and replace for better the obsolete investigation system that was carried out in Honduras, making criminal investigations and the justice system more effective.
The current general public prosecutor is Óscar Fernando Chinchilla Banegas, a former magistrate of the Supreme Court of Justice. The public deputy prosecutor is Rigoberto Cuéllar, former minister of the Office of Natural Resources and Environment. Both were elected on 31 August 2013.[1] [2]
Forensic medicine determines the cause of death by examining of the corpse.
The public prosecutor's office receives more than 50,000 cases annually to investigate. It has the capacity to investigate only 5%; the remaining 95% cases are left without investigation. Because of this there has been an increase in crime.[3]
Because of the lack of resources and investigations by public prosecutor office, crime has increased exponentially. During the government of Rafael Alleys assassinations increased about 300%. During the government of Porfirio Lobo (2010-2014) 27,000 thousand people were murdered, which is equal to all 20th century murders in Honduras.