Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez is planning to return to Honduras on Sunday, eight months after a U.S. pardon ended his incarceration in the United States where he had been serving a 45-year prison sentence on drug and arms trafficking convictions.
Hernandez, 57, who held the presidency for two consecutive terms from 2014 to 2022, is expected to arrive on a private flight at Palmerola International Airport, located about 60 km (37 miles) northwest of the capital, Tegucigalpa. Honduran authorities have indicated he will not be detained upon landing because an arrest warrant issued against him was suspended in June.
Upon his return, Hernandez is scheduled to appear before a Honduran court on August 3 to face allegations of fraud and money laundering. In an interview earlier this week, he told Reuters he intends to ask the court to dismiss those charges.
"I cannot deny the profound emotion and joy I feel in my heart to be returning home ..." he wrote on X earlier this month. "I am counting down the days until I can hug my mother, my wife Ana (Garcia), my children, my granddaughters, and other family members, as well as every friend who supported us with their prayers," he added. "It wasn’t easy. The process has been extremely difficult ... and what I experienced in prison, I truly wouldn’t wish on anyone."
Hernandez's legal troubles began with his capture in Tegucigalpa in February 2022 and his extradition to the United States two months later. A U.S. judge in 2024 sentenced him to 45 years in prison on charges related to drug and weapons trafficking - charges he has consistently denied.
The pardon, granted by then-U.S. President Donald Trump in late 2025 while Honduras was in the midst of a closely contested presidential election, sparked complaints from a presidential candidate and others who said the move represented interference in the country's political process. The U.S. pardon did not affect separate legal proceedings in Honduras.
Domestically, Hernandez remains implicated in a corruption probe known as "Pandora II," which alleges that close to $11 million in public funds were diverted to political campaigns between 2010 and 2013. Prosecutors say some of that money was used for Hernandez's first presidential campaign. Related charges against former President Porfirio Lobo and former finance minister Wilfredo Cerrato were dismissed.
Asked about his political future, Hernandez did not rule out running for office again, but said it was not an immediate plan. He added he was willing to lend his experience to the new leadership of his party: "We have a new leadership in our party; we want to support them."
Hernandez's return is likely to focus attention on the pending Honduran cases and the domestic inquiry into alleged campaign fund diversion. The suspended arrest warrant clears his initial entry into the country, but the upcoming court appearance will determine his next legal steps in Honduras.