MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2019World news in brief
Honduras’s president speaks during a press conference on Saturday (AFP/Getty)
Honduran president denies drug trafficking
Juan Orlando Hernandez, the Honduran president, has denied reports from a US court filing linking him to
drug trafficking, and has instead accused criminals of seeking revenge against him. Mr Hernandez
specifically opposed a report from US-based Spanish language broadcaster Univision, in which he said he
was described as implicated in a campaign finance conspiracy.
Univision had detailed a 44-page document related to the upcoming drug-trafficking trial in New York of
Mr Hernandez’s brother, Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernandez, which contained testimony from someone who
appeared to be a former official. “These are false accusations made by a drug trafficker,” Mr Hernandez said.
The Honduran president, a conservative lawyer who came to power in 2014, has reined in murders with a
tough policy against drug cartels and street gangs that has been supported by the US and criticised by
human rights groups.