The Honduran Supreme Court has ruled in favor of extraditing former President Juan Orlando Hernández to the United States, who Washington is demanding to prosecute him for links to organized crime.
The former president was arrested on February 15, after the Joe Biden government requested his extradition, who left office in January.
The United States had also withdrawn his US visa and included him on the list of "corrupt and undemocratic actors."
The Court "has ruled that the appeal filed [by the defense of the former president] has not been granted", which means "that the decision of the judge of first instance, to grant the extradition of citizen Juan Orlando Hernández, is confirmed", has been reported. the spokesman for the Judiciary, Melvin Duarte.
The 15 magistrates of the Supreme Court met this Monday to decide on the extradition request of the former president, who has ruled against being transferred to the United States.
His defense has said that the president cannot be extradited because he has immunity as a member of the Central American Parliament, a strategy that has not worked to stop the request to extradite Hernández.
Hernández, who held power in 2018 under strong protests that took place in the main cities of the country, is heavily accused by a New York prosecutor, who points out that he received bribes from drug traffickers in 2013 to finance his first presidential campaign.
In the accusations, it is stated that Hernández has given protection to “narcos” leaders and they have even published an alleged quote from the president in which he affirms that he wanted to “put the drug in the noses of the gringos, flooding the United States with cocaine.” .
(News in development)
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