Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández has been cleared of the remaining money laundering and fraud charges against him in Honduras, a court ruling that removes the last legal barrier to his full freedom in the country. The decision came during a hearing on Tuesday, according to Carlos Silva, a spokesperson for the Honduran judiciary.
The charges dismissed by the court stemmed from allegations related to Hernández’s first presidential campaign over a decade ago. Silva explained that the court found no evidence Hernández had authorized or managed illicit financial activities or increased his wealth through illegal means. As a result, the court issued a definitive dismissal of the accusations.
Following the ruling, Hernández was greeted by large crowds of supporters in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa. Videos shared on Hernández’s Facebook page show him addressing the crowd atop a pickup truck, expressing that he felt hurt by the impact the legal proceedings had on his family. He described the case against him as political persecution aimed at exiling him from Honduras and harming his family’s well-being.
Hernández served as president of Honduras from 2014 to 2022. His time in office was marked by persistent allegations of involvement with drug trafficking and corruption. In 2022, he was extradited to the United States to face charges including drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Hernández was convicted in a U.S. federal court and sentenced to 45 years in prison for operating his country as a “narco-state” and enabling cocaine shipments to the U.S., allegedly receiving bribes from Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the notorious leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel.
However, on December 1, 2023, former U.S. President Donald Trump granted Hernández a pardon following lobbying efforts by his family and political allies in the United States. The pardon sparked controversy internationally and within U.S. law enforcement communities that had built the case against him.
Back in Honduras, Hernández faced additional legal challenges tied to a broad anti-corruption investigation known as the Pandora case. This probe accused multiple politicians, including Hernández, of diverting public funds meant for social programs and agriculture to finance political campaigns, including Hernández’s 2013 presidential bid. Former Attorney General Jordán Antonio Zelaya Álvarez criticized the court’s dismissal on social media, saying that Honduran justice remains controlled by the powerful to the detriment of ordinary citizens.
Hernández returned to Honduras in July 2023 on a private flight arriving at Palmerola International Airport, where he was received by family members. His presidency was also overshadowed by a contested 2017 election marked by allegations of fraud and a subsequent military crackdown on protests, resulting in nearly two dozen deaths.
As Hernández moves forward following the court’s ruling, the political and legal ramifications of his case continue to resonate throughout Honduras and beyond.