The third Hondurasgate audio leak exposes an architecture for eliminating political opponents in Honduras. The plan is a three-move purge: persecution and threats against opposition figures holding positions in the electoral oversight body, the purchase of parliamentary votes to force them from office, and the reinstatement to positions of power of figures linked to Juan Orlando Hernández — Honduras's former president, convicted of drug trafficking in the United States and pardoned by Donald Trump.

The newly leaked recordings lay out a meticulous structure in which key right-wing figures with institutional responsibilities appear: current Vice-President María Antonieta Mejía, Electoral Commissioner Cossette López-Osorio, National Congress Speaker Tomás Zambrano, Jorge Cálix and David Matamoros Batson. All of them operate under Hernández's instructions to seize control of every branch of state power.

The conversations expose the purchase of parliamentary votes to reach the required qualified majorities, as well as direct threats of imprisonment and even death against Marlon Ochoa, a member of the National Electoral Council until a few weeks ago.

First move: the hunt for Marlon Ochoa

Marlon Ochoa, a member of the National Electoral Council (CNE) until a few weeks ago and former Secretary of Finance in the government of Xiomara Castro, became the main target of Honduras's new ruling bloc.

Ochoa had denounced the irregularities in the 2025 electoral process that brought the right to power. He revealed manipulation of biometric controls, the declaration of the election result before the count had been completed, and the lack of public access to the results — warning that the TREP system offered no certainties or consistency because its source code had been tampered with. In December of that year, he described the situation as 'a kidnapping of popular will at the hands of the President of the United States.'

His position became a threat to Juan Orlando's chief operators in Honduras: his seat on the National Electoral Council was an obstacle to achieving total power.

The recordings reveal how Electoral Commissioner Cossette López-Osorio tells Nasry Asfura and María Antonieta Mejía that her primary objective is Ochoa, who must end up in jail or die.

On April 9, 2026, the National Congress admitted the first petition for a political trial with 91 votes in favour. Ochoa declared on social media that attending the congressional hearing would be 'validating the theatre of crime' given the absence of any guarantees of impartiality and due process.

Six days later, on Thursday April 16, the legislature removed him along with Electoral Justice Tribunal (TJE) magistrate Mario Morazán and two alternates, by a vote of 88 — two more than the 86 required by the Constitution.

Second move: the vote-buying network

The recordings also reveal the purchase of votes in Congress to activate political trials and remove officials. In a conversation from March 12, Congress Speaker Tomás Zambrano confronts Jorge Cálix, leader of the Liberal Party caucus, for failing to secure the necessary votes. Cálix replies that he needs more money — almost in a tone of blackmail.

López-Osorio can also be heard offering Cálix money from her own funds and resources from Ana Paola Hall — which she says would come from Carlos Flores Facussé — to bribe legislators and secure the missing votes.

Days later, the majority was achieved in Congress and the four officials were removed in a session that lasted more than ten hours.

Third move: restoring the old order in the electoral body

With Ochoa out of the way, the plan has reached its third phase: the renewal of electoral authorities linked to Juan Orlando Hernández. In this context, David Matamoros Batson resurfaces — magistrate of the former Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). Batson presided over the body during the 2017 elections, when after a count interruption the trend reversed and Hernández imposed his re-election amid fraud allegations and a crackdown that left more than a dozen people dead.

The recordings show him placing himself at Juan Orlando Hernández's disposal and accepting his request to replace another commissioner and lead the next electoral process — one in which, according to earlier recordings, Hernández would seek the presidency.

Persecution, threats, and a connection to U.S. intelligence

The recordings contain death threats against Marlon Ochoa. Zambrano raises with Hernández the need to 'find a crime' against Ochoa in order to secure an international arrest warrant. Hernández responds by offering his intelligence contacts in the United States and instructing that 'whatever has to be done' be done to eliminate him.