Browse Honduras Daily Stories

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández is set to appear in court on August 3 facing fraud and money-laundering charges in the Pandora II case, in which prosecutors allege a network diverted over 288 million lempiras (about $11.5 million) in state funds between 2010 and 2013, with at least 62 million lempiras allegedly benefiting his presidential campaign.

Honduras's labor courts in Francisco Morazán are overwhelmed with roughly 15,000 active cases, averaging about 1,000 per judge, prompting the Supreme Court to implement a contingency plan to reduce hearing delays and case-resolution times.

The assigned judge in Juan Orlando Hernández's case for fraud and money laundering declined to continue, saying the investigation no longer involves a sitting high official requiring the Supreme Court's jurisdiction, prompting Hernández's lawyers to appeal and the former president to claim political persecution.

Honduras confirmed its OAS mission in Washington will represent the government at an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights hearing on August 5 addressing judicial independence and the use of political trials.

Tegucigalpa's mayor signed an agreement with San Salvador's mayor to study and adapt the Salvadoran city's strategies for urban recovery, public-space reclamation, security, and waste management in Honduras's capital.

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff head Roosevelt Hernández faces prosecution for allegedly inciting discrimination against journalists Dagoberto Rodríguez, Rodrigo Wong Arévalo, and Juan Carlos Sierra, while analysts and civil-society figures call for broader investigations into his role during the 2025 election.

A proposed electoral reform would grant Honduras's electoral authority (CNE) new powers to monitor parties and candidates for false news, manipulated AI content, and deepfakes, with fines ranging from five to 20 minimum monthly wages.

Honduras will not send representatives to an Inter-American Human Rights Court hearing on August 5 about the political ouster of former officials including ex-prosecutor Johel Zelaya and ex-electoral officials Marlon Ochoa and Mario Morazán, instead submitting only a written defense prepared by Congress and the attorney general's office.

Lawmakers are proposing to reduce rental rates on idle state-seized agricultural land from 500 lempiras (about $20) per manzana to 200 lempiras (about $8) per manzana, aiming to ease costs for farming cooperatives and discourage illegal land occupations in rural areas.

Honduras will send a congressional delegation to Washington on August 5 to defend its impeachment process before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which cited concerns about due-process protections and judicial independence.

A poll shows 55.3% of Hondurans disapprove of President Trump's pardon of former president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in New York in 2024 on drug-trafficking and weapons charges and returned to Honduras on July 26.

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández landed at Palmerola International Airport on Sunday, July 26, after receiving a US presidential pardon following his narcotics conviction, and now faces a separate Honduran judicial process in the Pandora II corruption case.

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández, freed after a US pardon erased his 45-year drug-trafficking sentence, will return voluntarily to Honduras this Sunday to face domestic charges of fraud and money laundering, after a Honduran judge suspended the international arrest warrant against him.

Defense Minister Enrique Rodríguez Burchard announced a 30% salary increase for enlisted soldiers, adding approximately 3,000 lempiras (about $120) monthly at a cost of over 570 million lempiras, effective July 2026.

A congressman from the Libre party has proposed a law to establish workplace rights and safety protections for women engaged in paid sex work, addressing what he says is a regulatory gap that has left them vulnerable to discrimination and violence.

The Liberal Party's congressional delegation will present next week an alternative to the governing party's proposed reforms to the electricity sector, focusing on two disputed articles while seeking to rescue the state utility without privatization.

Honduras's audit office has launched an investigation into Yuscarán Mayor Johny Carrasco after videos showed him drinking alcohol and smoking inside municipal facilities, potentially violating the Public Servant Ethics Code; sanctions could range from suspension to removal from office.

Ronald Panchamé, head of the Libre congressional bloc, announced the party will present a counterproposal to the government's electric-sector reform bill currently under discussion.

José Manuel Zelaya Rosales, who resigned as defense minister in 2024 after a video implicated his father in meetings with drug traffickers, now works as an advisor to a Libre city councilor in Tegucigalpa, the mayor confirmed.

Johnny Alejandro Carrasco, mayor of Yuscarán, rejected calls to step down after a video circulated showing him and municipal officials drinking alcohol in a municipal building, claiming the people present were friends and the remarks were a joke.

The opposition Liberal Party says it will back planned overhaul of Honduras's electric sector only if the government explicitly guarantees that the state-owned ENEE will not be privatized and public assets will not be pledged as collateral.

The National Congress reconvenes on July 21 with a final debate on proposed reforms to Honduras's electricity law, which President Asfura says are necessary to stabilize the state power company (ENEE), though opposition parties continue to reject the changes.

Former president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was pardoned by President Trump in 2025 after extradition to the US on drug-trafficking charges, will return to Honduras on July 26 to face trial on fraud and money-laundering charges related to the Pandora II case, with a court hearing scheduled for August 3.

The Amhon Honor Court is analyzing possible disciplinary action against Yuscarán Mayor Johny Alejandro Carrasco following a July 11 video showing him drinking alcohol inside a municipal building; Amhon's secretary said the case is under review to determine "what comes next."

Honduras's audit court referred only four illicit-enrichment cases to prosecutors between 2019 and 2025, involving former officials from the social security institute, social investment fund, and two municipalities, with alleged unjustified wealth gains totaling L92.4 million (about $3.7 million).

The Infrastructure Ministry awarded a Mexican construction company, Prodemex, a multimillion-lempira contract to complete the third phase of the Santa Bárbara General Hospital, but no public contract or transparency-registry trace of the award exists, and the project remains halted under a court order.

The National Congress is refusing to unseal physical boxes that may contain financial documents from former Congress president Luis Redondo's 2022–2026 tenure, citing a need for oversight by the Court of Accounts, while claiming digital records of the spending have been deleted.

The National Congress unanimously approved 10 contracts funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and Central American Bank for Economic Integration to carry out social projects and consulting work across multiple departments, though lawmakers noted the absence of contract values in the vote.

Honduras's accounting tribunal will investigate L15.9 million (about $636,000) paid for two presidential meeting rooms at the Supreme Court during Rebeca Raquel Obando's tenure, after a failed public bid, a closed private bidding, and cost overruns of nearly L3 million above the original contract.

At least 10 members of the Liberal Party in Congress oppose proposed counterreforms to the state power utility ENEE, signaling internal party division on energy policy.