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Honduran court drops charges against former president pardoned by Trump
The judge said evidence did not show Hernandez controlled the disputed funds or that embezzled money reached his 2013 campaign.
On Tuesday, a Honduran court dismissed fraud and money laundering charges against former President Juan Orlando Hernández, ruling evidence "did not establish the defendant's participation in the investigated events."
The dismissed Pandora I case alleged that officials diverted more than $10.8 million in public funds between 2010 and 2013, with the Specialized Prosecutor's Unit Against Corruption Networks claiming Hernández received at least $2.3 million for his campaign.
Before returning to Honduras in July, Hernández served time in a United States prison following a 45-year sentence; President Donald Trump pardoned him late last year.
Charges were also dropped against former President Porfirio Lobo and ex-finance minister Wilfredo Cerrato; Supreme Court spokesman Carlos Silva noted appeals remain possible as Hernández declared this "chapter of political persecution has now ended."
The pattern of collapsing high-profile corruption cases draws scrutiny regarding the independence of the Honduran justice system, with critics arguing these concurrent dismissals undermine institutional strength.
Honduran justice has decided to drop the trial of the country's former president, Juan Orlando Hernandez.
Hernandez was pardoned late last year by US President Donald Trump after being convicted of drug trafficking in the US.
The $2 million case
The 57-year-old former head of state, who was in power from 2014 to 2022, was accused of embezzling $2 million from public funds to finance his 2013 election campaign.