TEGUCIGALPA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Former head of Honduras' Telecommunications Company (Hondutel) Marcelo Chimirri, who is a close ally of deposed president Manuel Zelaya, was arrested on bribery charges, the police said on Thursday.

    Chimirri, along with four others, were sought in a bribery case involving Lati Node, a telecom firm based in the U.S. state of Florida.

    The company was accused of paying Honduran officials 1.9 million U.S. dollars in bribes in exchange for preferential tariffs on international phone calls.

    The U.S. federal court convicted Lati Node of corruption in April and imposed a fine of 2 million dollars on it.

    Chimirri was arrested by the police as he was leaving a bank in the capital of Tegucigalpa.

    Honduras' prosecutors have been chasing several of Zelaya's close allies after he was ousted and exiled by a military coup Sunday.