The Government will continue to keep up with their payments to other international financial organizations.

Data from the Ministry of Finance indicates that of the 2,457 million dollars Honduras reported as external debt in September 2009, over 405 million dollars are owed to the BCIE.

The authorities of BCIE have allegedly received no payment since September, but it is unknown if they have collected any funds from former President Manuel Zelaya in the Brazilian embassy, according to the official.

The Ministry of Finance reported that since August 23rd, they suspended the payment of thousands of Lempiras for commissions on lending commitments.

Among other actions taken by the interim government in September, it was ordered that all financial institutions in Honduras were to withdraw the resources that they had deposited in the regional bank, and it was dropped from the list of financial institutions in which national institutions could invest .

The amount withdrawn amounted to some 120 million dollars.

This week Congress will decide if they should delegate a law firm to represent the State and file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, as the Presidents of the member countries of the Central American Integration System, SICA, ordered to suspend payments and credits to the Government and people of Honduras since late June 2009, because of the political events that occurred in the country.

The Finance Minister said that she received the notification of Congress that they will discuss the issue in the Legislature, and therefore, hopes that this week they will be conferring about legal representation with a law firm.

Nunez pointed out that Honduras is a founding partner of the regional bank, and not just another client.

“Demand is initiated for all damages caused to Honduras, not only for the amount of undisbursed balances that were promised, but for the violation of the agreement establishing the BCIE,” said the minister.

The last time the Government made a payment to the regional bank was in early September 2009. At that time, the Finance Minister went to the bank headquarters in Tegucigalpa to deliver a check for six million dollars, to comply with payment of a loan taken out earlier, and was due.

The BCIE was founded at the beginning of the 1960’s. Honduras remains one of the founding members along with Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.