Honduran Attorney General Johel Zelaya has requested Interpol's assistance and directed national authorities to execute an arrest warrant for former President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Hernandez was released from a US prison last week after being pardoned by President Donald Trump.

Why was the former Honduran president in a US jail?

Hernandez had originally been sentenced to 45 years for his role in smuggling tons of cocaine into the United States.

Zelaya said the Honduran prosecutor's office is obliged to act after the pardon to uphold justice.

According to the arrest order, Hernandez should be taken into custody in Honduras if US authorities let him go.

The former Honduran leader was extradited to the US in 2022 by the country's current president, Xiomara Castro.

According to the arrest order, Hernandez should be taken into custody in Honduras if US authorities allow his return.

Hernandez was also implicated in the so-called Pandora case, in which Honduran politicians and state officials allegedly diverted government money to political parties using a network of NGOs. According to the case, Hernandez's 2013 presidential campaign received some of the funds.

Hernandez awaiting Asfura victory

The arrest warrant comes after the November 30 general election in Honduras ended in a "technical tie" between right-wing National Party candidate Nasry Asfura and Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla. Asfura, endorsed by Trump, led by less than one percentage point.

Asfura and Hernandez are from the same political party. In the run-up to the election, Trump declared Asfura a "friend of freedom" while also accusing Nasralla of "pretending to be an anti-communist." The US president's endorsement of Asfura was condemned by the Libre party, who called it "interference and coercion" in the Honduran elections.

Nasralla has alleged the election results were "theft."

"The corrupt ones are the ones holding up the counting process," he said.

An Asfura win could help secure Hernandez's return to his home country, while Nasralla's election campaign focused on the fight against corruption, saying the former president stole the 2017 vote from him due to irregularities.

Hernandez lawyer calls arrest warrant 'political

While Trump said the release of Hernandez reflects the will of the Honduran people, reactions in Honduras were mixed. Some recall his two terms favorably, while others expressed shock at the release of a man convicted of drug trafficking.

Trump said he had reviewed Hernandez's case and found his treatment by prosecutors unfair.

Renato Stabile, Hernandez's lawyer, called the new arrest warrant "strictly political," saying it is an attempt to "intimidate" the former leader.

"It is shameful and a desperate piece of political theatre and these charges are completely baseless," Stabile wrote in an email.

Hernandez's wife said he is currently in an undisclosed location for safety reasons. The former president has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse