Honduran court drops case against ex-President Hernandez after Trump pardon

Juan Orlando Hernandez had been accused of wealth laundering and fraud arsenic portion of a authorities corruption scheme.

A tribunal successful Honduras has dropped charges against erstwhile President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who returned to the state successful July aft being pardoned successful the United States for a drug-trafficking conviction.

Hernandez had been accused of fraud and wealth laundering arsenic portion of a corruption strategy from 2010 to 2013, earlier his presidency.

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But connected Tuesday, judiciary spokesperson Carlos Silva told reporters that Hernandez was not liable for budgetary decisions astatine the clip of the crimes. Hernandez, a salient person successful the right-wing National Party, celebrated the determination arsenic a vindication.

“This section of governmental persecution has present ended,” Hernandez said aft the decision.

He argued that the lawsuit against him “had nary basis” and was pursued for governmental purposes.

“Those who orchestrated this cognition not lone wanted to spot maine banished from Honduras forever, ne'er to return, but they were determined to permission my household connected the street,” helium said.

But Hernandez, known by his initials JOH, has faced repeated scrutiny during his clip arsenic a rising governmental fig successful Honduras. He served arsenic president of the state from 2014 to 2022.

Even during his word successful office, reports indicated that helium had travel nether the probe of the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Though helium was considered an state of the US-backed “war connected drugs”, prosecutors would aboriginal impeach him of abusing his power, utilizing his presumption to assistance cause traffickers smuggle narcotics portion collecting bribes to accelerate his governmental ascent.

The US Department of Justice said helium was the “center of 1 of the largest and astir convulsive drug-trafficking conspiracies successful the world”.

Within months of his presidency’s end, successful April 2022, Honduran officials extradited Hernandez to the US. In tribunal filings, US prosecutors quoted Hernandez arsenic saying helium would “shove the drugs close up the noses of the gringos”.

He was convicted successful 2024 and sentenced to 45 years successful prison.

Many Hondurans had celebrated his March 2024 condemnation successful the US arsenic a uncommon lawsuit of a almighty authoritative being held accountable. There were demonstrations extracurricular the New York City tribunal wherever his sentencing took place, with protesters waving Honduran flags.

But erstwhile US President Donald Trump returned to bureau successful 2025, helium sought to beforehand the interests of his chap right-wing leaders crossed Latin America, including by offering political and economical support during elections.

Honduras held wide elections to prime a caller president and members of Congress successful November 2025.

Days earlier the vote, however, Trump pledged to pardon Hernandez and threatened to withhold assistance from Honduras.

The ballot number stretched connected for weeks arsenic the contention for president came down to 2 right-wing candidates: the centrist Salvador Nasralla and Nasry Asfura, from Hernandez’s National Party.

On December 2, successful the midst of the ballot count, Trump followed done with his pardon for Hernandez. He claimed that Hernandez had been “treated precise harshly and unfairly” nether his predecessor, erstwhile US President Joe Biden.

Asfura yet won the statesmanlike race.

But adjacent with a pardon successful the US, Hernandez faced ineligible jeopardy astatine location successful Honduras.

He faced charges arsenic portion of the Pandora case, a corruption ungraded successful the Central American country.

The lawsuit centred astir accusations that apical officials, including Hernandez, funnelled nationalist funds to their governmental campaigns done authorities disbursements.

Prosecutors said the officials progressive successful the ungraded diverted astir $10.8m successful authorities funds betwixt 2010 and 2013. Hernandez allegedly received astir $2.3m. Some of those funds were allegedly utilized to concern his statesmanlike campaign.

The home apprehension warrant Hernandez faced, however, was suspended, allowing him to return to Honduras successful July.

Analysts expressed interest that Trump’s backing and the National Party’s power of the authorities could crook the proceedings into a sham process.

Honduras’s judiciary connected Tuesday maintained that the grounds “did not found the defendant’s information successful the investigated events”.

Other politicians progressive successful the Pandora scandal, including erstwhile President Porfirio Lobo and ex-Finance Minister Wilfredo Cerrato, person besides seen their charges dropped.