The United States declassified this Monday the inclusion of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández (2014-2022) on its list of corrupt last July, when he was still in office, for his alleged links to drug trafficking.
In a statement, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, explained that Hernandez’s inclusion occurred in the face of journalistic information "multiple and credible" indicating that he was allegedly involved in significant acts of "corruption and drug trafficking".
As a consequence of this designation, the persons included in that list are prohibited from obtaining visas and entering the United States.
"The US is advancing transparency and accountability in Central America, exposing visa restrictions against former President Juan Orlando Hernández for his corrupt activities. Nobody is above the law"Blinken remarked.
The former Honduran president, who was succeeded at the end of last January by Xiomara Castro, was recently sworn in as a full member of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) on behalf of his country.
Hernández’s two mandates were punctuated by multiple complaints associated with corruption and drug trafficking.
Hernández always rejected the accusations that he had links with drug traffickers, as is stated from the United States, where his brother, Juan Antonio "Tony" Hernández is serving a life sentence for drug trafficking, among other crimes.
In July 2021, the United States Department of State published a list of 55 Central American officials and former officials whom it points to for corruption, among which former Honduran president José "Pepe" Lobo and his wife, former First Lady Rosa Elena Bonilla de Lobo.
Likewise, it includes congressmen and senior officials of the governments of El Salvador and Guatemala,
The registration of the names was released in compliance with the "Enhanced Engagement Act between the United States and the Northern Triangle" of the US Congress.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has set out to combat corruption and promote development programs in the countries of the "Northern Triangle" as part of its strategy to curb irregular immigration.