Honduran police surround house of ex-president after U.S. seeks extradition

[Judi Lynn]

February 14, 2022
11:20 PM CST
Last Updated an hour ago

By Gustavo Palencia and Marvin Valladares
3 minute read

TEGUCIGALPA, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Scores of Honduran police officers on Monday surrounded the house of former president Juan Orlando Hernandez after the United States asked the government to arrest and extradite Washington's key erstwhile ally in the region.

Speculation has been swirling for months that the United States was planning to extradite Hernandez when he left office amid accusations that he colluded with drug traffickers. Leftist leader Xiomara Castro replaced him as president last month.

Washington's request for extradition represents a major about-face by the U.S. government, which saw Hernandez as a vital ally in the volatile Central America region during his eight years in power.

The United States had already placed Hernandez on a blacklist, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken this month said there were credible reports Hernandez "has engaged in significant corruption by committing or facilitating acts of corruption and narco-trafficking".

More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-asks-honduras-extradite-ex-president-hernandez-govt-source-cnn-2022-02-15/

[Eugene]

1. Honduras ex-President Hernandez arrested at US request

Source: Associated Press

Honduras ex-President Hernández arrested at US request

By MARLON GONZÁLEZ and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
February 15, 2022

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Police arrested former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández at his home on Tuesday, following a request by the United States government for his extradition on drug trafficking and weapons charges.

The arrest came less than three weeks after Hernández left office and followed years of allegations by U.S. prosecutors of his alleged links to drug traffickers.

Hernández exited his home flanked by police, shackled at the wrists and ankles, and wearing a bulletproof jacket. He got into a police vehicle and was driven away. A police helicopter waiting nearby took flight and appeared to be escorting the caravan.

The Supreme Court of Justice had designated a judge Tuesday morning to handle the case and hours later the judge signed an order for Hernández’s arrest, said court spokesman Melvin Duarte. The security ministry, which had Hernández’s home surrounded since Monday evening, moved quickly to take him into custody.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-arrests-united-states-honduras-extradition-207d739fe73c844ad5cf182eec030a8a

[Judi Lynn]

2. Love that photo! They really rolled out the red carpet for him, didn't they? Thanks. ⭐️

[Judi Lynn]

3. A stunning fall for ex-Honduran president wanted in US

The arrest of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández and the images that followed — a leader shackled and paraded before cameras like a common criminal — are a stunning reversal for a man who for years seemed impervious to growing allegations of corruption

Via AP news wire
1 hour ago

The arrest of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and the images that followed — a leader shackled and paraded before the cameras like a common criminal — were a stunning reversal for a man who for years seemed impervious to growing allegations of corruption.

While president from 2014 until last month, he had the support of U.S. officials waging the war on drugs and some diplomats who did not see a better option. But less than three weeks out of office, his utility exhausted, the U.S. government moved for his extradition and the chance to make him an example in a region wracked by corruption.

Hernández was scheduled to make his initial court appearance in Tegucigalpa on Wednesday. He was arrested Tuesday at the request of the U.S. government on charges of drug trafficking, using weapons for drug trafficking and conspiracy to use weapons in drug trafficking.

U.S. prosecutors in the Southern District of New York have accused Hernández in recent years of funding his political rise with profits from drug traffickers in exchange for protecting their shipments.

More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/juan-orlando-hernandez-tegucigalpa-new-york-city-mexico-salvador-nasralla-b2016130.html