International News: Former President Hernández to return to Honduras after Trump pardon, challenge local charges

By Zoila Palma:  Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is set to return to Honduras on Sunday and seek the dismissal of separate fraud and money-laundering charges that were not covered by the pardon he received from U.S. President Donald Trump. Hernández, who was released after Trump pardoned his 45-year prison sentence for cocaine trafficking in the United States, said he expects to begin legal proceedings in Honduras in early August. He maintains his innocence and has argued that the local case was politically motivated, adding that he has already requested that the arrest warrant against him be dropped, Reuters report. The former president faces the Honduran charges in connection with the Pandora II case, which investigated alleged corruption and the misuse of state funds. Hernández, who governed Honduras from 2014 to 2022, was extradited to the United States in 2022 and convicted in 2024 after prosecutors accused him of facilitating the trafficking of hundreds of tons of cocaine. He served less than two years of his sentence before Trump’s pardon. The post International News: Former President Hernández to return to Honduras after Trump pardon, challenge local charges appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.