TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – The ousted former Honduran president is rejecting claims in a U.S. diplomatic memo that he might have ties to organized crime.
In a statement, Manuel Zelaya calls the allegations "reckless accusations that constitute the crime of defamation."
Former U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Charles A. Ford said in a May 15, 2008, memo that Zelaya was surrounded by people involved in organized crime. Ford offered no concrete evidence, and the U.S. government has never publicly backed those claims.
Zelaya sent his response to The Associated Press late Saturday. He was ousted in a June 2009 coup and lives in exile in the Dominican Republic.
U.S. officials have declined to comment on the document, released by the Wikileaks website Friday.
