President of Honduras denies having used drug money in presidential campaign
Prosecutors also claim that Juan Orlando Hernández asked for help in reaching the presidency of Congress, which he achieved in 2010 and later for his first presidential campaign "bribing local politicians."
Juan Orlando Hernández, president of Honduras. EFE / Gustavo Amador / Archive
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The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, denied Saturday the "false and perverse" accusations of having used drug money in his 2013 campaign, when he won the Presidency of the country, as pointed out by a document of the Prosecutor's Office of the southern district of Nueva York released today.
Leer en español: Presidente de Honduras niega haber usado dinero del narcotráfico en campaña
In the document of the Prosecutor's Office of the southern district of New York, presented as part of the case against Honduran Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernández, brother of President Juan Orlando Hernández, the president is involved in a conspiracy to use drug money with the In order to come to power.
"The president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, categorically denies the perverse and false accusations of the drug trafficker, identified as (the former mayor) Alexander Ardon by the Univision chain," the Presidency of the Central American country said in a statement.
Hernandez has led "an unprecedented battle to free the country from drug trafficking as a result of an effective alliance with the United States and other allied countries."
The Honduran Presidency indicates that "the clearest sign of who is who in the war on drug trafficking is to see who fought and achieved the approval of extradition, the measure most feared by drug cartels."
“Even against fierce opposition and threats, it was President Hernández who led the battle to approve the extradition. In addition, his struggle continued until extradition was applied from the beginning of his first presidential term. ”
More than 40 alleged drug traffickers have been extradited to the United States since 2014, while others "fearing their capture and extradition negotiated their own surrender to the US authorities, promising that they would accuse others in exchange for a reduction in their sentence."
The Honduran ruler has been “relentless in the battle against drug traffickers regardless of foreseeable reprisals, to the point that one of his 17 brothers, a younger brother, is now being tried in New York, based on the testimony of precise members of a dreaded drug cartel "that his government" pursued."
The document presented in the Southern District of New York involves Hernández in a conspiracy with his brother Juan Antonio Hernández Alvarado, a prisoner in the United States. and other high-level officials, including former governor Porfirio Lobo (2010-2014) "to use drug trafficking to maintain and increase their political power."
"The court document does not refer to Juan Orlando Hernández by name, but only as CC-4 (co-conspirator-4), who describes himself as elected president of Honduras at the end of 2013", while Lobo is identified as CC-3, add the document.
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According to prosecutors, Juan Antonio Hernández, arrested in Miami on November 2018 and transferred to New York, where he faces the same charges for drug trafficking, told former mayor Amílcar Alexander Ardon, identified in the document as CW-3, that "they could form a particularly successful association based on the protection of CC-3 (Porfirio Lobo) and CC-4 (Juan Orlando Hernández) if they won in the 2009 elections.
He also believed that CC-4 would follow CC-3 as president of Honduras and "continue to protect them."
On page 5 of the document there is talk of a meeting held in the 2009 election year, in which CW-3 (Ardon), who faces trial in the US, allegedly would have met with CC-3 (Lobo) who, according to the Prosecutor's Office, he asked for "financial and logistical support" for his campaign and for CC-4 (Juan Orlando Hernández, a congressman at the time).
In return, protection and the appointment of a relative for a political position were offered, and according to prosecutors, it was agreed to provide two million dollars.
Prosecutors also allege that Juan Orlando Hernández asked for help in reaching the presidency of Congress, which he achieved in 2010 and later for his first presidential campaign "bribing local politicians."
According to the court of the Southern District of New York, Ardón participated between 2000 and 2015 in the process, reception, transportation, and distribution of "large quantities of cocaine that arrived in Honduras by airplanes and fast boats."
