TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) 鈥� The United States has asked Honduras to arrest former President Juan Orlando Hern谩ndez for his eventual extradition to the U.S., officials confirmed Monday.
National Police and soldiers surrounded the neighborhood around Hern谩ndez's home Monday night.
Honduras鈥� foreign affairs ministry initially said via Twitter that it had notified the country鈥檚 Supreme Court of Justice that the U.S. Embassy had formally requested the arrest of a Honduran politician for the purposes of extradition.
The ministry did not identify the politician. But Honduras' current vice president, Salvador Nasralla, confirmed to The Associated Press that the request names Hern谩ndez.
Later, the president of the Supreme Court of Justice called an urgent session of the full court for Tuesday morning to choose a judge to consider the extradition request from the United States.
Nicole Navas, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice, declined to comment. The U.S. State Department referred requests for comment to the Justice Department.
CNN en Espa帽ol first reported that the politician was Hern谩ndez, showing the communication from the ministry to the court naming Hern谩ndez.
Hern谩ndez鈥檚 attorney, Hermes Ram铆rez, accused authorities of being unfair to the former president. He said Hern谩ndez was inside the Tegucigalpa residence.
鈥淎t this time the secretary of security is violating the rule of law by wanting to execute an arrest order violating the procedure that is established by law,鈥� the lawyer told local media. 鈥淲e leave clear the abuse that my client ex-President Juan Orlando Hern谩ndez is the subject of.鈥�
Various contingents of the National Police, including special forces, as well as military police were present around Hern谩ndez's neighborhood Monday night. Barriers were set up at all of the entrances to keep the press and even residents out.
Members of the security forces entered the area with weapons, wearing balaclavas and with handcuffs dangling from their ballistic vests. Some neighbors said the house had been dark and they believe unoccupied.
Supporters of new President Xiomara Castro arrived as well, waving flags from her party and celebrating.
Over the weekend, Hern谩ndez had posted photographs of himself playing with his dogs in an apparent attempt to knock down rumors that he had fled the country.
Hern谩ndez left office Jan. 27 with the swearing in of Castro. The same day he was sworn in as Honduras鈥� representative to the Central American Parliament.
Ram铆rez said Monday night that Hern谩ndez had immunity because of his position in the regional parliament and insisted that he had a right to a presumption of innocence.
With a weak and co-opted Honduran justice system, Hondurans鈥� hope for justice had rested for years with U.S. federal prosecutors in New York, where a string of revelations against Hern谩ndez was closely followed back home.
Speculation had swirled for months over whether Hern谩ndez would be charged once he was no longer president, because U.S. prosecutors in New York repeatedly implicated him in his brother鈥檚 2019 drug trafficking trial, alleging that his political rise was fueled by drug profits.
Hern谩ndez strongly denied any such activities.
The brother, Juan Antonio 鈥淭ony鈥� Hern谩ndez, himself a former Honduran congressman, was sentenced to life in prison on drug and weapons charges in March 2021. At his sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Laroche characterized the crimes as 鈥渟tate-sponsored drug trafficking.鈥�
In an audio recording sent to his staff that day, the then president said his brother鈥檚 conviction 鈥渋s hard for the family, hard for me personally.鈥�
鈥淚 find it outrageous; I find it unbelievable that false testimony by confessed killers could have been heard and given weight in this way,鈥� he continued, citing Honduras鈥� progress in reducing violence as evidence of his stance against organized crime.
U.S. prosecutors said Tony Hern谩ndez brokered large bribes from drug traffickers to his brother in exchange for protecting their shipments through Honduras. In some cases, members of the National Police and military escorted drug shipments, prosecutors said.
They said Juan Orlando Hern谩ndez received bribes while still a member of Honduras鈥� congress and directed bribes to other lawmakers so they would support him as the body鈥檚 president.
Hern谩ndez has long said that the accusations against him come from drug traffickers, who in some cases he extradited and who are now seeking revenge. He has denied any involvement with drug traffickers.
Hern谩ndez became president of the congress in early 2010. By 2013, he was campaigning to be Honduras鈥� president and allegedly solicited $1.6 million from a drug trafficker to support his campaign and those of other politicians in the National Party, according to U.S. authorities.
Tony Hern谩ndez also received $1 million from Mexican kingpin Joaquin 鈥淓l Chapo鈥� Guzm谩n to support his brother鈥檚 presidential campaign, prosecutors said. They said Tony Hern谩ndez had promised the Sinaloa cartel leader that if his brother won the presidency, they could protect Guzm谩n鈥檚 drug shipments through Honduras.
Juan Orlando Hern谩ndez took office Jan. 27, 2014. U.S. authorities allege he continued receiving drug profits while in office in exchange for allowing drugs to move through Honduras.
Hern谩ndez was also named as a 鈥渃o-conspirator鈥� in the case of convicted drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes Ram铆rez. Witnesses in the two-week trial shortly before Tony Hern谩ndez鈥檚 sentencing told of Hern谩ndez accepting bribes from Fuentes Ram铆rez and other drug traffickers from his time as a presidential candidate up through at least 2019.
Hern谩ndez used a friendly Supreme Court to overcome Honduras鈥� constitutional ban on re-election and won a second term in 2017 in elections marred by irregularities.
He was a deeply unpopular president at a time that saw tens of thousands of Hondurans flee the country due to a lack of economic opportunity, street gang violence and natural disasters.
Hern谩ndez worked to curry favor with the Trump administration, which was focused largely on slowing immigration. The Trump administration was quick to recognize Hern谩ndez鈥檚 re-election victory in the disputed election. When accusations against Hern谩ndez emerged from trials in New York, Hern谩ndez would often use photo ops with U.S. officials to show that he had nothing to hide.
The Biden administration, however, worked to keep Hern谩ndez at arm鈥檚 length, frequently repeating that corruption was one of the root causes of migration in the region.
Hern谩ndez has focused his defense largely on his record of extraditing drug traffickers to the United States and Honduran security forces鈥� cooperation with U.S. authorities intercepting drug shipments.
Honduras changed its constitution in 2012 鈥� while Hern谩ndez was president of the congress 鈥� to allow the extradition of Hondurans facing drug trafficking charges. And drug traffickers were extradited under Hern谩ndez. However, the U.S. government has complained that Honduras in recent years had not extradited others, including some alleged co-conspirators of Tony Hern谩ndez.
Last week, the U.S. State Department said it had quietly placed Hern谩ndez on a list of Central American officials suspected of corruption or undermining democracy last year.
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Associated Press writer Marlon Gonz谩lez reported this story in Tegucigalpa and AP writer Christopher Sherman reported from Mexico City. AP videojournalist Elmer Mart铆nez contributed from Tegucigalpa.
Marlon Gonz谩lez And Christopher Sherman, The Associated Press
