Ex-president Hernandez returns to Honduras after Trump pardon

Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez returned to his country on Sunday, almost eight months after US President Donald Trump controversially pardoned his 45-year prison sentence for drug trafficking.

Hernandez arrived on a private flight at Palmerola Airport near the capital Tegucigalpa and was greeted by his family and supporters, AFP journalists observed.

"We are very happy and very excited" to welcome him back, said Eva Amador, 56, a supporter of the former president, as she held a banner with a message thanking Trump.

Hernandez led the Central American nation from 2014 to 2022, but was extradited shortly after leaving office by his left-leaning successor, Xiomara Castro, to face US drug trafficking charges.

A US court found him guilty in 2024 of having helped smuggle hundreds of tons of drugs into the United States and sentenced him to decades behind bars.

But in a surprise move just days before Honduras's presidential election last year, Trump pardoned Hernandez.

The US president also threatened to withhold aid to the country if Hernandez's ally and fellow conservative Nasry Asfura did not win.

Trump's intervention sparked outcry in Honduras and claims by Castro and her allies of foreign interference in the election, which was ultimately won by Asfura.

The pardoning of Hernandez also sparked accusations of hypocrisy in the United States, as Trump had recently launched his major military campaign against drug traffickers in Latin America, striking boats alleged to be cartel-affiliated.

Hernandez is expected to appear in Honduran court on August 3 to face corruption charges.

He denies wrongdoing, and previously said he was returning "without any electoral ambitions."

Upon granting the pardon last year, Trump claimed -- without evidence -- that Hernandez was "set up" by the administration of former US president Joe Biden.