Judge approves extradition of former Honduran president wanted by U.S.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A Honduran judge on Wednesday approved the extradition of former President Juan Orlando Hernández to the United States, where he faces three charges related to drug trafficking and weapons use.

“The Extradition Judge of First Instance has decided to grant the extradition request of the Southern District Court of New York for former President of the Republic Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado,” Supreme Court spokesman Melvin Duarte told reporters.

He added that the former president’s defense has three days to appeal to the full Supreme Court.

According to the former governor’s defense before the hearing ended, “the United States government has not presented credible and sufficient evidence implicating the citizen and former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández in drug trafficking, as required by the extradition treaty for the judge to grant the extradition request.”

“Under Honduran law, the mere description of a reference witness is not evidence,” and “in a Honduran court, what the U.S. Attorney’s Office sent would not support an accusation against a defendant,” the defense said in a statement.

It also noted that “the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not send any evidentiary documents, photographs, audios, videos, transactions or other evidence to support its accusation.”

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