Central America cleans house

• In Honduras, Congress is currently reviewing stripping 15 representatives of immunity from prosecution – which all legislators enjoy – so they can face judicial processes for crimes, including corruption. One of the 15 is former president Rafael Callejas.

• In Panama, the nation is following with rapt attention a case involving the alleged acceptance of bribes by members of Congress, to approve a government contract for a private company. The scandal is considered the most publicly aired corruption case in the nation's history.

While corruption, and impunity for those who commit it, has long existed in the region, it was eclipsed by massive violations of human rights and suppression of personal liberties. But as these countries get past these issues and more democratic institutions are developed, citizens are becoming increasingly aware that in a true democracy, no one is above the law.

Additionally, many here expect democracy to bring better economic conditions. Although economic hardships continue to plague the region, citizens are more incensed with misuse of state resources, especially in a region where sales taxes have been steadily on the rise.

The new anticorruption movement has also been buoyed by increasing international pressure, especially from the United States.

"Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the Patriot Act that followed, the US has adopted a strong foreign-policy stance not only against terrorism, but against other illegal acts that it has equated to terrorism, including corruption," says Emilio Alvarez, a former Nicaraguan foreign minister. "The United States doesn't want to give money to a country where the authorities might embezzle it."

On his recent trip through the region, President George W. Bush emphasized the fight against corruption as a condition for continued foreign aid.

While Mr. Alvarez sees the new US stance as part of an attempt to adopt an ethical image to go along with its antiterror crusade, he and many here see it as something new and positive for a country that previously gave massive support to corrupt dictators throughout the region.

It will be an uphill battle for the various corruption allegations in the region to bear fruit. In most of these countries, many in government enjoy immunity from prosecution.

Last week in Nicaragua, the legislature shelved a judge's request to strip Alemán of his immunity. In Guatemala, the petition, while signed by many, has no legal bearing. Both the president and his vice president enjoy immunity from prosecution.

Nonetheless, many in the region believe that great strides have already been made.

"There is an advance in the sense that this issue is now on the agenda in Central America," says Miguel Angel Sandoval, a Guatemalan political analyst, who is part of the signature-collecting campaign. "People are saying that this can't go on. We are heading in the right direction."

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