Key facts
- Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez will return to Honduras on Sunday.
- Hernandez was pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump while serving a 45-year sentence for drug and arms trafficking.
- He faces fraud and money laundering charges in Honduras, with a court appearance scheduled for August 3.
- Hernandez denies the U.S. charges and claims he was wrongly convicted.
- A Honduran corruption investigation alleges he diverted state funds for political campaigns.
Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is scheduled to return to Honduras on Sunday, eight months after receiving a pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump while serving a 45-year sentence for drug and arms trafficking. Hernandez, who served two terms from 2014 to 2022, will arrive on a private flight and is expected to appear in court on August 3 to face charges of fraud and money laundering. His arrest warrant has been suspended, meaning he will not be detained upon arrival.
In an interview, Hernandez, 57, stated he would request the charges be dismissed and expressed his joy at returning home. He was extradited to the U.S. in 2022 and subsequently sentenced for allegations he has always denied. The pardon, issued late in 2025, drew complaints of U.S. interference in Honduras's political process but did not affect the charges in his home country.
A Honduran corruption investigation, dubbed "Pandora II," accuses Hernandez and other officials of diverting nearly $11 million in state funds to political campaigns between 2010 and 2013, some allegedly used for his first presidential campaign. Charges against former President Porfirio Lobo and ex-finance minister Wilfredo Cerrato in relation to this investigation were dismissed.
Hernandez indicated he might consider running for office again in the future and expressed a willingness to support his party's new leadership.