Honduras’ ex-president is under legal scrutiny in a fraud and money-laundering case while allies tout strong anti-drug cooperation with the U.S.
Hernández returns home to Honduras to face corruption charges as Pandora Case investigations continue. A U.S. conviction has been pardoned, while observers warn of potential impunity on Honduran soil amid political pressures and ongoing trials.
Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández has been cleared by a Honduran judge in a Pandora I corruption case tied to 2010–2013 public spending. Hernández has returned from the United States after a 2025 presidential pardon and has insisted he is innocent. Prosecutors can appeal the judge's decision, the judiciary has said.
The United States is stepping up a regional push against major drug-trafficking groups, designating several Latin American gangs as foreign terrorist organisations and expanding military-security cooperation. The move comes during a high-profile visit by the US secretary of state to Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, and signals intensified pressure on groups with narcotics that reach across borders.