New York (AFP) – The trial of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez, which was to begin Monday in New York, has been postponed until February 20, one of his lawyers said Saturday.
Hernandez was extradited to the United States on drug charges in 2022, accused of facilitating the smuggling of 500 tons of cocaine in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes.
His trial has been delayed because US prosecutors “confirmed they were unable to complete the redaction of classified information” that they were supposed to have already handed over to the defense, lawyer Raymond Colon told AFP.
Hernandez, 55, has maintained that he is innocent. As president, Hernandez worked closely with the administration of former US president Donald Trump, winning Washington’s praise for his government’s work in drug seizures and the fight against organized crime.
If found guilty of the three charges against him — conspiracy to traffic drugs and two counts of weapons trafficking and possession — Hernandez could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
A conviction would put him in the company of other former Latin American leaders tried and found guilty in the United States, including Panama’s Manuel Noriega in 1992 and Guatemala’s Alfonso Portillo in 2014.
