Honduras’s socialist attorney general is calling for the immediate arrest of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, just days after President Donald Trump issued him a sweeping pardon that led to his release from U.S. federal prison.
Attorney General Johel Antonio Zelaya Alvarez announced Monday that he has ordered Honduran authorities and requested Interpol to execute a 2023 Honduran arrest warrant for Hernández on charges of fraud and money laundering.
Hernández had been serving a 45-year sentence in the United States for allegedly helping move tons of cocaine into the country before Trump pardoned him last week.
“We have been lacerated by the tentacles of corruption and by the criminal networks that have deeply marked the life of our country,” Zelaya wrote on X, releasing an image of the two-year-old order.
The warrant explicitly states it must be carried out “in the case that the accused is freed by United States authorities.”
The move comes after Honduras’s socialist government was defeated in the nation’s presidential election last week.
Honduran socialist presidential candidate Rixi Moncada, representing the ruling Libre party of President Xiomara Castro, was defeated by Nasry Asfura, a conservative candidate backed by Trump.
Hernández’s Long-Running Scandal Resurfaces
Dozens of Honduran political figures were implicated in the “Pandora” corruption scheme, in which prosecutors say government funds were funnelled into NGOs and then diverted to political parties, including Hernández’s 2013 presidential campaign, according to the Associated Press.
Hernández, once hailed as a U.S. partner in the fight against drug trafficking, became the target of a U.S. extradition request shortly after leaving office in 2022.
He was detained and handed over by President Xiomara Castro’s leftist LIBRE government.
Defense Team Calls Arrest Effort “Political Theatre”
Hernández’s attorney, Renato Stabile, blasted the renewed arrest effort, telling the AP:
“This is obviously a strictly political move on behalf of the defeated Libre party to try to intimidate President Hernandez as they are being kicked out of power in Honduras.
“It is shameful and a desperate piece of political theatre and these charges are completely baseless.”
Trump’s Pardon Sparks Political Firestorm
Trump announced he was granting Hernández a “full and complete pardon” following his conviction in the U.S. for conspiring to import more than 400 tons of cocaine.
The former president said Hernández was “treated very harshly and unfairly,” suggesting the case was politically driven.
A New York jury had convicted Hernández on cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and weapons charges after a two-week trial.
While Hernández portrayed himself as a staunch anti-narcotics ally who worked with multiple U.S. administrations, the judge said evidence showed the opposite, asserting he used state police and military forces to protect drug operations, not combat them.
Hernández Thanks Trump, Claims Innocence
After walking free, Hernández publicly praised Trump and insisted he was wrongfully prosecuted.
“My profound gratitude goes to President @realDonaldTrump for having the courage to defend justice at a moment when a weaponized system refused to acknowledge the truth,” Hernández wrote on X.
“You reviewed the facts, recognized the injustice, and acted with conviction.
“You changed my life, sir, and I will never forget it.”
With Honduras now demanding his arrest, the political and diplomatic fallout from Trump’s pardon is likely far from over.
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