Honduras has issued an arrest warrant for former President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was recently pardoned by former U.S. President Donald Trump. The warrant was announced by Honduras’s Attorney General Johel Antonio Zelaya Alvarez, who has called on government agencies and Interpol to detain Hernández, who faces allegations of money laundering and fraud.
On Monday, Zelaya posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, revealing the Supreme Court’s arrest order dated November 28, 2023, the same day Trump announced his intention to pardon Hernández. Zelaya expressed deep concern over corruption in Honduras, stating, “We have been lacerated by the tentacles of corruption and by criminal networks that have profoundly marked the life of our country.”
Hernández served as President of Honduras from 2014 until 2022. In 2022, he was convicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges, receiving a sentence of 45 years in federal prison along with a fine of $8 million. His domestic legal troubles are tied to a substantial anti-corruption investigation in Honduras known as Pandora II. Prosecutors allege that Hernández illegally acquired around $2.4 million in kickbacks from public contracts linked to his 2013 presidential campaign.
Critics of the arrest warrant contend it is politically motivated. Hernández’s attorney, Renato Stabile, described the warrant as a maneuver by the ruling Libre Party, which opposes the conservative National Party previously led by Hernández. Stabile declared, “This is obviously a strictly political move… It is a shameful and desperate piece of political theatre, and these charges are completely baseless.”
In a further development, Luis Santos, head of Honduras’ Specialized Unit Against Corruption Crimes, confirmed that Hernández has an ongoing case in the Supreme Court of Justice for money laundering and fraud. An earlier international arrest warrant had reportedly been held by the Ministry of Security and Interpol since September 2023. Santos indicated that if Hernández does not return to Honduras, authorities would seek his extradition from the United States.
Trump formally pardoned Hernández on December 3, stating, “I feel pretty good about it,” and referred to the prosecution as a “Biden horrible witch hunt.” The pardon has drawn bipartisan criticism from members of Congress, who questioned the rationale behind pardoning an individual with a drug trafficking conviction, particularly given the Trump administration’s focus on combating drug trafficking in Latin America.
U.S. prosecutors accused Hernández of collaborating with drug cartels during his presidency while over 400 tons of cocaine were trafficked through Honduras to the United States. Allegedly, Hernández received millions in bribes, funds he purportedly used to bolster his political ascent.
Throughout his legal battles, Hernández has maintained his innocence, claiming that the judicial process against him was rigged and based on the testimonies of individuals seeking revenge. He expressed gratitude to Trump for what he described as “having the courage to defend justice at a moment when a weaponized system refused to acknowledge the truth” in a post on X following his pardon.
The developments surrounding Hernández’s arrest warrant and subsequent pardon reflect ongoing struggles with corruption and political dynamics in Honduras, raising significant questions about governance, justice, and accountability in the region.
