TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — 4 years after being extradited to the US for his drug trafficking trial, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández returns to his nation Sunday to face corruption costs that attorneys concern shall be a sham course of.
Hernández, as soon as thought-about an ally by the U.S. within the drug conflict, led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, throughout which he boasted that he would “shove the medication proper up the noses of the gringos,” in accordance with U.S. prosecutors.
His extradition shortly after leaving workplace marked a uncommon likelihood at justice for Hondurans, who feared his maintain on the nation’s justice system would by no means permit a conviction on Honduran soil.
However the former chief, sentenced to 45 years in jail in the US, was launched in December, to the shock of many within the U.S. and Honduras, after receiving a presidential pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump. He mentioned Hernández didn’t obtain a good trial and that it was a setup orchestrated by the Biden administration.
Hernández now returns to the nation to face corruption costs amid issues {that a} weak justice system and his occasion’s return to the presidency will guarantee his impunity.
“There’s a social majority that’s outraged, however doesn’t communicate out due to concern,” mentioned Joaquín Mejía, lawyer and researcher for the human rights group Reflection, Analysis and Communication Crew. “We’re speaking concerning the boss of all drug bosses.”
Hernández, 57, faces costs associated to a case often called Pandora I, which alleges {that a} community of former high-ranking officers from 2010 to 2013 participated within the growth and approval of public funds disbursements totaling greater than 288 million lempiras ($10.8 million) to numerous foundations, in accordance with an investigation by the nation’s Specialised Prosecutor’s Unit Towards Corruption Networks, or UFERCO.
In line with UFERCO, Hernández benefited from these disbursements, receiving at the very least 62 million lempiras ($2.3 million) for his political marketing campaign via varied schemes, together with the creation of shell firms, using straw males and fictitious contracts.
Hernández has mentioned he’s harmless and that the case “lacks any authorized foundation.”
In June, a choose suspended his arrest warrant and the worldwide crimson discover issued to Interpol on the request of Hernández’s lawyer, though the case remains to be pending. The previous president has agreed to seem earlier than the choose on Aug. 3 for his arraignment.
“The second has arrived. After 4 years, I can lastly let you know that we’ll see one another once more,” Hernández mentioned in a video posted on social media.
Since his launch within the U.S., Hernández has expressed his intention to return to Honduras to reunite together with his spouse, Ana García, and their kids, whose U.S. visas are at present suspended.
Different high-level officers implicated in Pandora I whose instances have been dismissed point out the probably end result for Hernández, in accordance with authorized specialists.
“All the things factors to the suspension being step one,” mentioned Mejía. “He’ll come, they’ll probably concern him different measures to imprisonment to maintain up appearances, after which he’ll find yourself with none drawback, with none sanction.”
For Luis Javier Santos, the previous head of UFERCO who investigated the case in opposition to Hernández, the previous chief’s return represents a failure to prosecute him for his crimes, quite than an opportunity for justice.
Santos was faraway from his function in UFERCO in February in what he believes demonstrates makes an attempt to stifle anti-corruption investigations by the brand new authorities of Nasry Asfura, of Hernández’s Nationwide Get together, which took workplace in January after gaining Trump’s backing throughout elections.
“We’ve gone backward to a good worse level than when all of the work to battle corruption started,” Santos mentioned.
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Brigida reported from Mexico Metropolis.
