A/HRC/44/47/Add.2 administrative, tenancy and criminal law cases. There are 67 courts of first instance in Honduras. 4. Justices of the peace 15. The lowest level of the court system consists of justices of the peace, distributed throughout the country. Each department capital and municipalities with populations of more than 4,000 people should have two justices, and municipalities with populations of fewer than 4,000 people should have one justice of the peace. Justices of the peace handling criminal cases act as investigating magistrates and are involved in only minor cases. More serious criminal cases are handled by the courts of first instance. The judges are appointed by the courts of first instance.1 5. Council of the Judiciary 16. The Constitution provided for the creation of a Council of the Judiciary and the enactment of a law to regulate its organization, scope and faculties (art. 317). The Council of the Judiciary and the Judicial Career was established in 2011, but ceased to exist in March 2016, following a decision of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (see paras. 31–34 below). III. Structural problems and their impact on public trust 17. The effective realization of the independence and autonomy of the justice system does not depend solely on the implementation of national legislation and policies related to the administration of justice and the free exercise of the legal profession. The persistence of structural problems, such as widespread corruption, extreme poverty, discrimination and inequality, violence and insecurity and a high level of impunity, remain major challenges for Honduras and continue to have long-lasting adverse effects on the independence and autonomy of the judiciary with regard to other State powers and non-State actors, such as organized crime networks. 18. Corruption remains a major threat to the stability and appropriate functioning of institutions, which are obstacles to maintaining the competitiveness of the country and affect investment. Networks of patronage and clientelism and organized crime dominate society and various sectors of the economy. Corruption has had a particularly negative impact, which is compounded by the impunity that has followed the unveiling of the most notorious cases involving high-ranking politicians and authorities. In 2019, Honduras was ranked 146 of a total of 180 countries considered by Transparency International, 2 14 positions lower than its ranking in 2018, and continues to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The Government has put into place an anti-corruption framework, but sustained efforts and enforcement is lacking. 19. Despite a certain degree of stability in the national economy in recent years, the country continues to face high levels of poverty, with a poverty rate of 52.6 per cent. The extreme poverty rate in 2017 was 17.2 per cent, the second highest rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, after Haiti. The inequality rate (Gini coefficient of 50.5 in 2017) is also among the highest in the region – and the world. High levels of poverty and inequality have contributed to the emergence of a cycle of high crime and low growth. Although the homicide rate in the country has decreased, Honduras continues to have one of the highest homicide rates in the world. The reduction in the homicide rate has not translated into a reduction in the level of violence, which remains very high and continues to be a constant threat to the population. 20. Impunity continues to be widespread, especially in cases involving high-ranking politicians and State authorities. According to recent data, the rate of impunity in Honduras continues to exceed 90 per cent, and more than 97 per cent of crimes against human rights 1 2 4 See www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Honduras.html#_3.3_Judicial_Branch. Transparency International, Corruption Perceptions Index 2019. Available at www.transparency.org/cpi2019?/news/feature/cpi-2019.