A Honduran court has dismissed corruption charges against former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, months after US President Donald Trump pardoned him over a drug-trafficking conviction.
Hernandez, who served as Honduras’ president from 2014 to 2022, had been accused of fraud and money laundering in connection with the Pandora corruption case, which involved the alleged diversion of public funds to finance political activities.
Honduran judiciary spokesperson Carlos Silva said on Tuesday that the evidence did not establish Hernandez’s participation in the alleged crimes. He also said Hernandez was not responsible for budgetary decisions linked to the case.
Hernandez welcomed the court’s decision, describing it as an end to what he called a politically motivated prosecution.
“This chapter of political persecution has now ended,” he said after the ruling.
The former president was extradited to the United States in April 2022, shortly after leaving office. US prosecutors accused him of using his political influence to assist drug traffickers and accept bribes.
He was convicted in the United States in 2024 and sentenced to 45 years in prison.
However, after Trump returned to the White House in 2025, he announced a pardon for Hernandez in December, claiming that the former Honduran leader had been treated unfairly under the previous US administration.
Despite the US pardon, Hernandez continued to face legal proceedings in Honduras over the Pandora corruption scandal. Prosecutors alleged that officials diverted about $10.8 million in state funds between 2010 and 2013, with Hernandez allegedly receiving approximately $2.3 million.
The former president returned to Honduras in July after an arrest warrant against him was suspended.
The decision to drop the case has raised concerns among analysts, who had previously warned that political influence could undermine the proceedings.
Other prominent figures linked to the Pandora scandal, including former President Porfirio Lobo and former Finance Minister Wilfredo Cerrato, have also had charges against them dismissed.
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