President Donald Trump said on Friday that he plans to grant former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez a full and unconditional pardon that would overturn a significant drug-trafficking charge against the former U.S. ally who is currently serving a 45-year federal sentence.
I will grant a full and unconditional pardon to former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, whom, according to many people I greatly respect, was tried very harshly and unfairly.
– Donald Trump
«This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura wins the Election, when Honduras will be on its way to Great Political and Financial Success. VOTE FOR TITO ASFURA FOR PRESIDENT, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO JUAN ORLANDO HERNANDEZ ON YOUR UPCOMING PARDON.»
This cannot be allowed to happen, especially now, after Tito Asfura won the election, when Honduras will be on the path to great political and financial success. Vote for Tito Asfura for president, and congratulate Juan Orlando Hernandez on your upcoming pardon.
– Donald Trump
Hernandez, who served as President of Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was last year convicted by an American judge and ordered to pay a fine of $8 million on drug-trafficking-related charges.
Prosecutors alleged that Hernandez cooperated with drug cartels during his tenure, and that more than 400 tons of cocaine moved through Honduras to the United States. In exchange, according to investigators, Hernandez received millions of dollars in bribes, which he used to bolster his influence in Honduran politics.
In a statement, officials from the U.S. Department of Justice said that Hernandez “hid and enriched drug traffickers in his inner circle.” Prosecutors also cited his use of executive power to support the extraditions to the United States of certain drug traffickers “who threatened his authority,” while “promising drug traffickers who paid him and obeyed his orders that they would stay in Honduras.”
The president’s statement comes as his administration has recently focused on counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean region and the Pacific Ocean, and as U.S. activity in that region is increasing.
The former Honduran president, who denied the charges against him, was extradited from Honduras after the U.S. Department of Justice brought three drug-trafficking and weapons-related charges in 2022.
Following the announcement, Hernandez’s attorney thanked Trump and said: “we look forward to President Hernandez’s triumphant return to Honduras.”
«We are very grateful to President Trump and to everyone who supported President Hernandez. We believe that he became a victim of legal battles and political persecution. A great injustice has been corrected, and we look forward to a future partnership between the United States and Honduras».
– Renato Stibale
«If Tito Asfura wins the presidency of Honduras, given the United States’ trust in him, his policies and what he will do for the great people of Honduras, we will be very supportive.»
– Donald Trump
«If he does not win, the United States will not waste money, because the wrong leader could bring catastrophic consequences to any country, regardless of which country it is. Tito will become a great president, and the United States will work closely with him to ensure Honduras’s success with all its potential.»
– Donald Trump
General elections will be held in Honduras on Sunday.
Material prepared by Maria Santana and Jack Hai.