Honduras issues warrant for former president pardoned by Trump

Honduras’ lawyer wide is calling for the apprehension of erstwhile president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was precocious pardoned by President Donald Trump. 

Johel Antonio Zelaya Alvarez said Monday that helium ordered Honduran authorities and asked Interpol to execute a 2023 apprehension bid against Hernández for alleged fraud and wealth laundering charges. Hernandez, who successful 2024 was sentenced to 45 years for allegedly helping to determination tons of cocaine into the U.S., was released from national situation successful the U.S. a week ago.

"We person been lacerated by the tentacles of corruption and by the transgression networks that person profoundly marked the beingness of our country," Zelaya said, according to a translation of a station helium wrote connected X.  

Zelaya included a photograph of the two-year-old bid signed by a Honduras Supreme Court magistrate that says that it indispensable beryllium executed "in the lawsuit that the accused is freed by United States authorities." 

FORMER HONDURAN PRESIDENT RELEASED FROM US PRISON AFTER TRUMP PARDON

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, right, was pardoned by President Donald Trump connected Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Dozens of Honduran officials and politicians were implicated successful the alleged Pandora lawsuit successful which Honduran prosecutors alleged authorities funds were diverted done a web of nongovernmental organizations to governmental parties, including Hernández's 2013 statesmanlike campaign, according to The Associated Press.  

Hernández went from expected U.S. state successful the warfare connected drugs to the taxable of a U.S. extradition petition soon aft helium near bureau successful 2022, the AP added. He was detained and sent to the U.S. by existent President Xiomara Castro of the societal politician LIBRE party. 

A lawyer for Hernández, Renato Stabile, told the AP successful an email that, "This is evidently a strictly governmental determination connected behalf of the defeated Libre enactment to effort to intimidate President Hernandez arsenic they are being kicked retired of powerfulness successful Honduras. It is shameful and a hopeless portion of governmental theatre and these charges are wholly baseless." 

Hernández was freed after Trump announced helium was issuing him a "full and implicit pardon" pursuing his condemnation of conspiring with cause traffickers to import much than 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S. 

FORMER WORLD LEADER THANKS TRUMP FOR PARDON: ‘YOU CHANGED MY LIFE’

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, 2nd from right, is taken successful handcuffs to a waiting craft arsenic helium is extradited to the United States, astatine an Air Force basal successful Tegucigalpa, Honduras, connected April 21, 2022.  (Elmer Martinez/AP)

Trump said Hernández was "treated precise harshly and unfairly," implying that his proceedings was politically motivated oregon over-prosecuted. 

Hernández was convicted successful New York connected charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the U.S. and 2 related weapons offenses aft a two-week trial. 

Hernández portrayed himself arsenic a leader of the anti-drug trafficking question who teamed up with American authorities nether 3 U.S. statesmanlike administrations to trim cause imports, according to the AP. But the justice said proceedings grounds proved the other and that Hernández employed "considerable acting skills" to marque it look that helium was an anti-drug trafficking crusader portion helium deployed his nation’s constabulary and military, erstwhile necessary, to support the cause trade. 

Hernández aboriginal thanked Trump for pardoning him, penning connected societal media that helium was "wrongfully convicted."

Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks during the opening ceremonial of the U.N. Climate Change Conference COP26 successful Glasgow, Scotland, connected Monday Nov. 1, 2021.   (Andy Buchanan/AP)

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"My profound gratitude goes to President @realDonaldTrump for having the courageousness to support justness astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile a weaponized strategy refused to admit the truth. You reviewed the facts, recognized the injustice, and acted with conviction. You changed my life, sir, and I volition ne'er hide it," Hernández wrote connected X. 

Fox News Digital’s Ashley Carnahan, Michael Dorgan, Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.