Many Hondurans packed a federal courtroom today in New York where its former president, Juan Orlando Hernández, (2014-2022), faces trial next year, who has been shouted “drug trafficker” and other epithets .
Hernández, who appeared at the hearing in a prisoner’s khaki uniform, faced his second hearing today after being extradited last April on charges of cocaine trafficking and possession of heavy weapons, charges to which he pleaded not guilty.
As soon as Hernández entered the courtroom, the Honduran nationals, who had been waiting patiently outside the courtroom for Judge Kevin Castel, who is presiding over the case, yelled at the former president, who did not look away and spent much of of his time with his headphones in stalls.
Maybe he’s not listening to what he said, “That’s how I wanted to see you. Apologize to the offender for all the harm you’ve done to him,” or what he said, “Repent, you’ve run out of country.”
The 54-year-old former president, held in Brooklyn County federal prison, was charged by the US government with three felonies committed between 2004 and 2022: conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and heavy weapons and conspiracy to possess such weapons, charges that can cost him a life sentence.
The trial is scheduled to begin on April 24, 2023, but his lawyer Raymond Colón believes that date “could be extended due to the voluminous evidence” that the defense must evaluate.
Colón told Judge Castel — who also presided over the trial of former Congressman Antonio “Tony” Hernández, brother of Juan Orlando — that the prosecution withheld exculpatory information about his client.
According to Colón, in the summaries of the recordings that have been provided to him, several things are missing and are almost imperceptible. Judge Castel asked the attorney to speak to the prosecution about the transcripts, which must be in Spanish.
In an interlude with the press, Colón said in the tapes he reviewed with Hernández, they could see government officials, including mayors and the military, businessmen and farmers meeting with drug traffickers.
“He was totally surprised because he saw people he worked with, politicians, government officials, who he thought were allies (but) they received bribes,” said Colón, who attributes the drug traffickers’ allegations leveled against Hernández to the aftermath of the fight conducted by him by Parliament and then by the presidency, in support of extradition and against drug trafficking.
He assured that in the three videos Hernández’s link with drug trafficking cannot be deduced. Indeed, he added, they hear people say, referring to the former president, “he doesn’t care”, “he’s a son of a bitch” or “we gave money to his campaign”.
“They say they gave money to the campaign, but it doesn’t say they gave Hernández money,” he clarified, adding that “the omissions are quite clear, they’re there, we’ve heard them.”
Colón also explained to the judge that they had trouble accessing his client.
He explained in a parenthesis with reporters as he left the courthouse, that at first they faced a number of problems because his client “sometimes couldn’t get off (from his cell) because there were members of the Honduran gang”, but he had already been transferred to another prison building. While awaiting trial, he shares that area with inmates who collaborate with the prosecution.
Colón believes that the trial date will be postponed, although the judge maintains the date of April 24 and by that date the prosecution should have presented to the defense the evidence it has for this case.
He indicated that he has not yet delivered the witness list and “we have not received the classified evidence from the CIA. Sooner or later there will be a confrontation between the Department of Justice and the CIA” that he will not want to provide information so as not to compromise their informants or ex-informants”.
At the end of the hearing, in which the judge set the next dates in March 2023 for the delivery of the evidence by the prosecution, the evaluation of the defense and the reply, Juan Orlando Hernández got up from his seat and shouted ” drug dealer” as he continued on his way without looking back.
