Former Honduran President to appear in court in New York

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Former Honduran President to appear in court in New York

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hern ndez is expected to make a virtual appearance in a New York court on Friday, local time, to face drug traffickers and weapons charges after he was arrested in Honduras and extradited overnight to the United States.

On Thursday, local time, Hern ndez boarded an aeroplane in Honduras with agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration, just three months after leaving office.

The US Attorney-General Merrick Garland accused Mr Hern ndez of abusing his position as president of Honduras to operate the country as a narco-state. Hern ndez, who served as president of Central America from 2014 to 2022, was charged with conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

Authorities said his court appearance in New York is to be virtual because of the COVID 19 protocols.

In a video message released on Thursday, he said: I am innocent, I have been and I am being unfairly subjected to prosecution.