WASHINGTON/Sputnik
Former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022) was found “guilty on all charges” by the jury of the trial held against him in the Southern District Court of New York (eastern), USA, and would now face a possible conviction to life imprisonment. In a unanimous verdict, the jury that began its deliberations on the afternoon of March 7 found the man also known as JOH (his acronym) guilty of the crimes of conspiracy for drug trafficking, trafficking and possession of weapons, for which he was extradited to the United States. shortly after finishing his second term, in 2022.
Hernández was found guilty of the crime of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices during said conspiracy, and also for possession of firearms.
“Tell the world that I am innocent,” the former president told the public in the courtroom, after hearing the jury’s verdict on March 8 and before leaving the room, presumably returning to prison.
The trial, led by Judge Kevin Castle, began on February 20 with the selection of the jury, and included the testimony of 15 witnesses, both from the Prosecutor’s Office and the defense, including the accused himself.
From the beginning, Hernández’s defense attacked the credibility of the Prosecutor’s witnesses, mostly inmates who testified in exchange for judicial benefits, such as drug traffickers Alex Ardón, Fabio Lobo or Lionel Riviera Madariaga, or former police chief Mario Guillermo Mejías, who confessed to having ordered the murder of prosecutor Orlan Chávez.
In the final arguments, JOH’s defense insisted that the accused always fought drug traffickers, and that the New York Prosecutor’s Office lacked evidence, beyond the testimony of convicts seeking reductions in their sentences.
For her part, federal prosecutor Elinor Tarlow said in the US rebuttal that the former president fought his enemies and not drug traffickers.
“For years he exploited the political system for drug trafficking. He used the Army and the police and his own power. It is time for you to give a guilty verdict,” concluded the state representative.
During the trial, bribes destined for political campaigns, favors such as protection and facilities for the transportation of drugs, impunity, murders, relations with international cartels, trafficking of large quantities of drugs, money laundering and takeover of State institutions came to light.
The testimonies indicated that Hernández had direct relations with drug trafficking groups, abusing his power and position, first from the Congress of the Republic, and then from the Presidency.
#Jury #finds #Honduran #president #Hernández #guilty #drug #trafficking
