MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Former Honduran president given 45-year prison sentence in US court

The judge called Hernández a “two-faced politician hungry for power” who protected certain traffickers

Former Honduran two-time President Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022) was sentenced to 45 years in jail by a US Federal Court in the Southern District of New York, which in practical terms will keep him behind bars for the rest of his life. The minimum sentence established by law was 40 years.

Hernández, 55, who was extradited after fulfilling his term in office, was found guilty in March of conspiracy to import cocaine, in addition to possessing firearms. District Judge Kevin P. Castel's decision of 45 years in prison plus a five-year probation made him the first former head of state of a Central American country to be sentenced in a US court for this type of crime. Castel also fined him US$ 8 million and called him a “two-faced politician hungry for power” who protected certain traffickers. His defense has 14 days to appeal the judge's decision.

Hernández was arrested at his home in Tegucigalpa, three months after leaving his second consecutive term in office in 2022, and was extradited to the US in April of that year. His brother and former Congressman Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández was sentenced to life in prison in March 2021 also for drug trafficking.

According to the prosecution, Hernández had colluded with drug traffickers since 2004, accepting millions of dollars in bribes, and requested a life sentence saying it would deter other traffickers and corrupt officials.

“Hernández did more to combat drug trafficking in Honduras than any president before or since,” said his lawyer, Renato Stabile, who sought a maximum sentence of 40 years and indicated Hernández would appeal.

However, the defendant admitted drug money had permeated all major political parties in Honduras although he denied personally accepting bribes and claimed the charges stemmed from convicted traffickers seeking revenge for his anti-drug policies. He also questioned the trial's fairness and claimed critical evidence had been excluded.

The jury convicted him in March based on evidence that he used drug money to manipulate elections in 2013 and 2017.