By Luc Cohen
NEWYORK – Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is anticipated to make an preliminary look in a federal court docket in Manhattan on Friday, at some point after being extradited to the USA on drug and weapons fees.
U.S. prosecutors mentioned Hernandez, as soon as a Washington ally, acquired tens of millions of dollars from drug traffickers together with Mexico’s Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman whereas main Honduras from 2014 to early 2022.
Hernandez used the cash to counterpoint himself and finance his political campaigns, in return for safeguarding traffickers from arrest and giving them entry to regulation enforcement data, based on an indictment unsealed on Thursday.
The defendant faces three prison counts, together with cocaine importation conspiracy and weapons possession.
Hernandez has strongly denied the allegations, portraying himself as a fierce opponent of drug cartels and accusing traffickers of smearing him to extract revenge and lighten their sentences.
A U.S.-based lawyer for Hernandez, Raymond Colon, didn't instantly reply to a request for remark.
U.S. President Joe Biden has centered on tackling corruption in Central America, with a watch towards stemming the tide of migrants from the area to the USA.
Legal professional Common Merrick Garland mentioned on Thursday that Honduras’ present authorities “needs our assist” in tackling medication.
Hernandez’s indictment is dated Jan. 27, when he was changed because the nation’s president by leftist Xiomara Castro, who defeated Nasry Asfura from Hernandez’s right-leaning Nationwide Occasion in November.
The U.S. Division of Justice typically refrains from indicting sitting heads of state. The Honduran Supreme Court docket licensed Hernandez’s extradition in March.
Hernandez’s youthful brother, former Honduran congressman Tony Hernandez, was sentenced to life in jail in March 2021 after being convicted in Manhattan on federal drug trafficking fees.
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