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A Honduran court has dismissed fraud and money laundering charges against former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, marking a major legal victory for the former leader months after his release from a U.S. prison.
Judiciary spokesperson Carlos Silva said Tuesday that the judge found Hernandez was not responsible for the budget decisions connected to the alleged crimes. The court also determined there was insufficient evidence to establish that misappropriated state funds had financed Hernandez’s 2013 presidential campaign.
Hernandez welcomed the decision outside the court, telling supporters that the case lacked a legitimate basis and describing the prosecution as political persecution. He also criticized Honduran authorities for seizing assets belonging to his family.
Prosecutors can still appeal the ruling, according to Silva. Anti-corruption organizations have meanwhile raised concerns that the dismissal could weaken public confidence in Honduras’ judicial system.
The charges were part of Pandora II, a wide-ranging corruption investigation in which prosecutors accused Hernandez and other senior officials of diverting nearly $11 million in government funds to political campaigns between 2010 and 2013.
Charges have also been dismissed against other prominent figures, including former Honduran President Porfirio Lobo and former Finance Minister Wilfredo Cerrato.
Hernandez returned to Honduras in late July after a dramatic reversal of his legal situation in the United States. He was extradited to the U.S. in 2022 on drug trafficking charges and convicted two years later. A U.S. court sentenced him to 45 years in prison.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned Hernandez in late 2025, leading to his release. The pardon was announced shortly before Honduras’ November presidential election, which was eventually won by Nasry Asfura of Hernandez’s right-wing National Party.
Hernandez governed Honduras from 2014 until 2022. U.S. prosecutors previously accused him of using his presidency to protect drug traffickers and operating the country as a “narco-state.”
Despite his return to Honduras, Hernandez said in a July interview that he had no immediate plans to seek elected office. Instead, the former president said he intended to support the country’s new government.
