Honduras ex-president Hernandez returns home after Trump pardon

Honduras ex-president Hernandez returns home after Trump pardon TEGUCIGALPA: Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez returned to Honduras on Sunday (Jul 26), eight months after US President Donald Trump pardoned him while he was serving a 45-year US prison sentence for drug and arms trafficking. Hernandez, who served two consecutive terms as president from 2014 to 2022, landed at Palmerola International Airport, about 60km northwest of the capital, on a private flight. He was greeted by several family members, including his mother, daughters and wife Ana Garcia, who ran unsuccessfully for his party's presidential candidature in 2025, losing to current President Nasry Asfura. On the runway, they knelt to pray, then waved to hundreds of party supporters who had arrived by bus to receive Hernandez before he took another flight to Toncontin airport in Tegucigalpa. He is expected to appear before a court on Aug 3 to face charges of fraud and money laundering. An arrest warrant against him was suspended in June, meaning he will not be detained on arrival. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Hernandez, 57, said he would request the charges be dismissed. "I cannot deny the profound emotion and joy I feel in my heart to be returning home," he wrote on X earlier this month, saying he was counting down the days to see his family. "It wasn't easy. The process has been extremely difficult ... and what I experienced in prison, I truly wouldn't wish on anyone," he said. LEGAL BACKGROUND Hernandez's legal troubles date back to his capture in Tegucigalpa in February 2022 and his extradition to the US two months later. In 2024, a US judge sentenced him to 45 years in prison on charges related to drug and weapons trafficking, allegations he has always denied. Trump's pardon, issued in late 2025 amid a closely contested presidential election in Honduras, led a presidential candidate and others to complain of US interference in the political process. The pardon did not, however, affect the charges against him in Honduras. A corruption investigation known as "Pandora II" has accused Hernandez and other high-profile officials of diverting nearly US$11 million in state funds to political campaigns between 2010 and 2013. Some of the money is alleged to have been used for Hernandez's first presidential campaign. Charges against former president Porfirio Lobo and ex-finance minister Wilfredo Cerrato, both implicated in the investigation, were dismissed. POLITICAL FUTURE Hernandez told Reuters he did not rule out standing for office again, though he said it was not in his immediate plans. But he said he was prepared to share his political experience with those in power: "We have a new leadership in our party; we want to support them."