Trump pardons former Honduran president

(CLO) Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison last year, has been released after being pardoned by President Donald Trump.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons website said Mr. Hernández was released from Hazelton Prison in West Virginia on Monday, and a bureau spokesman confirmed his release on Tuesday. His wife, Ana García, thanked President Trump for pardoning her husband.

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez attended an event in the US earlier. Photo: US State Department

Earlier on Sunday, reporters traveling with him on Air Force One asked President Trump why he decided to pardon Hernandez. “I was asked by Honduras, many Hondurans,” Mr. Trump said.

“The Honduran people really think he was framed, and that’s terrible,” he said. “They basically say he’s a drug trafficker because he’s president. And they say it was a setup by the Biden administration. I looked at the facts and I agree with them.”

Mr. Hernández was arrested at the request of the United States in February 2022, weeks after handing over power to incumbent President Xiomara Castro.

Two years later, he was sentenced to 45 years in prison in a federal court in New York for allegedly “taking bribes” from drug traffickers so they could safely transport about 400 tons of cocaine through Honduras to the United States.

Former President Hernández has always maintained his innocence and that he was the victim of revenge by drug traffickers he helped extradite to the U.S. He cooperated with the U.S. government under three U.S. presidents to reduce drug imports.

There is no guarantee that Mr. Hernández will return to Honduras anytime soon. Honduran Justice Minister Johel Zelaya has said his office has an obligation to seek justice. He did not specify what charges Mr. Hernández might face if he returned to Honduras.

Mr Trump's pardon comes just ahead of Honduras' presidential election, with vote counting set to begin on Tuesday.

Source: https://congluan.vn/ong-trump-an-xa-cho-cuu-tong-thong-honduras-10320160.html