Honduran Finance Minister, Hector Guillen

REUTERS

Honduran Finance Minister, Hector Guillen resigned on Wednesday, a day after his wife was arrested with the equivalent of more than $57,600 in her vehicle.

Local police stopped Dinora Arambury on Tuesday near Tegucigalpa as she was en route to the city of San Pedro Sula, about 100 miles north of the capital, reports Reuters.

Arambury was arrested after police found the cash - 1,125,000 Honduran lempiras - a discovery that prompted a media firestorm in the poor Central American country.

"I've made the decision to permanently resign my post as finance minister and face up to this situation," Guillen said on Honduran television.

Guillen, who was named finance minister in February, said the money his wife was transporting consisted of a loan that she planned to use to pay bills related to the bed business she owns in San Pedro Sula.

Guillen's resignation was immediately accepted, Interior Minister Carlos Madrid said at a press conference.

The government announced that Deputy Finance Minister Carlos Borjas will replace Guillen on an interim basis.