Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández continues to deny the claims against him by a U.S. prosecutor, accusing him of helping smuggle tons of cocaine in the country. In February, Hernández warned that anti-narcotics cooperation between his country and the United States could be negatively affected if authorities believe the allegations against him.

New York prosecutor Jacob Gutwillig said that Honduran drug trafficker Geovanny Fuentes had paid Hernández a $25,000 bribe, according to an Al Jazeera report.

"How can anyone believe false testimonies that I was dealing with drug traffickers," Hernández was quoted in a report.

Gutwillig claimed that the accountant Jose Sanchez was included at the meetings in 2013 and 2014. This was the time Fuentes paid the money to Hernandez.

The U.S. prosecutor added that Sanchez was due to tell the jury that he was shocked and afraid when he saw the defendant sitting with the president.

Gutwillig said that Sanchez will testify that Hernández told Fuentes they transport so much cocaine to the U.S. "they'd shove the drugs up the noses of the gringos," according to an AFP News report.

The Honduran government said Wednesday night that photos shown during the trial were taken during the president's birthday in 2017 during the election campaign.

READ MORE: Twitter Deletes 20,000 Fake Accounts Linked to Honduras and Other Governments

Honduran President's Brother

This is not the first time that Honduras President Hernández had been involved in a drug trafficking case. His brother, Tony Hernández, was convicted of large-scale drug trafficking in 2019 during a New York trial.

He was linked to his brother's trial by Leonel Rivera.

Rivera, the leader of a Honduran drug trafficking gang called Los Cachiros, testified that he had worked with Fuentes from 2011 to 2013.

Rivera allegedly got into a fight with Fuentes with the traffickers trying to kill him.

The president's brother faces life sentences with additional 30 years in prison. However, he hopes it will be reduced in exchange of his testimony.

During the major drug trafficking trials in New York, Rivera has been of help to the U.S. government as a witness.

During the Tony Hernández' trial, Rivera said the president received millions of dollars in bribes from drug traffickers to protect the cocaine shipments to the United States, according to a Channel News Asia report.

Investigation

Honduras President Hernández has claimed that traffickers, particularly Los Cachiros, were seeking vengeance against him for allowing them to be extradited to the U.S. He further claimed that the said group was lying in the most obvious way, according to a U.S. News report. 

The president further said that the traffickers were trying to manipulate U.S. authorities into helping them attack Honduran officials pursuing them.

A bill was introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley with the goals of seeking to isolate Hernández,

Merkley said that the U.S. government cannot shun the corruption and human rights issues on the Honduran government.

Merkley's bill was supported by Sens. Patrick Leahy, Richard Durbin, and Elizabeth Warren.

READ NEXT: Immigration News Today: Honduras Near 'Failed State' Status Due to Free Trade Agreement, Says Labor and Latino Leaders

WATCH: Honduran president denies drug trafficking charges by US prosecutors -from Al Jazeera English