Ex-first lady of Honduras arrested in corruption case: source

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Police arrested the wife of former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo on Wednesday morning on corruption charges, a police source and local media said. Rosa Elena Bonilla was detained at her residence on the outskirts of the capital Tegucigalpa, the source said. As part of the operation, police also arrested her brother-in-law and seized documents pertaining to graft accusations, the source said. Local media in Honduras extensively covered the arrest. Bonilla stands accused of illegally obtaining some 12.2 million lempiras ($522,000) in the waning days of her husband's administration, according to the national anti-corruption council, CNA. Late last year, Bonilla denied the corruption allegations. Her lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Corruption scandals have led to a string of arrests in Central America in recent years, thanks to growing pressure from activists and backing from foreign powers. Bonilla's detention took place a day after U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley visited Honduras to talk about drug trafficking and corruption. Earlier this month, the head of an anti-corruption commission backed by the Organisation of American States resigned citing a lack of support from authorities. Lobo was elected in late 2009 after a military coup ousted then-President Manuel Zelaya, and he served until 2014. The couple's son, Fabio Lobo, was sentenced to 24 years in prison by a U.S. court last year after pleading guilty to charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Frances Kerry)