Honduras reportedly cancels project to build offshore prison complex

After three voided tenders, the Honduran government has decided to cancel the project to build an offshore high security prison on the Cisne islands, local media reported. 

According to daily La Prensa, the decision was made based on the lack of bank guarantees for interested companies and the complexity of the project. 

The head of the armed forces, Roosevelt Hernández, reportedly confirmed to the news outlet that new alternatives for the facilities that would have been 250km off the mainland are being analyzed. 

The report said the location could be changed by the national penitentiary institute (INP), which would be in charge of launching another bidding process. 

“The armed forces can tell the Honduran people that new options or alternatives are being analyzed,” army spokesperson Mario Rivera was quoted as saying. 

Another report by news outlet Noticias 247 says the budget that was allocated to build the offshore complex of 1.8bn lempiras (US$71.4mn) could now be used for the construction of two detention facilities in Olancho and Gracias a Dios departments. There is no official confirmation of these plans.

President Xiomara Castro issued an executive order to build the Cisnes prison after clashes between gangs in a female penitentiary close to capital Tegucigalpa in June last year resulted in the deaths of 46 inmates.