Investigations into the assassination of Haitian President Jobener Moise in Port O Prince on July 7, 2021 remain stagnant in Haitian but are moving forward in the United States. increase.
The Haitian National Police (PNH) has made more than 40 arrests in connection with the killings. Eighteen former Colombian soldiers were arrested. They remained imprisoned and did not appear in court. The progress of the case is generally slow as Haitian's judicial system has been plagued by protests, robbery, mass violence and threats of death.
However, in the United States, the Ministry of Justice has been held in a federal prison in Miami, Florida, and has charged three major suspects awaiting trial.
Former Colombian Army officer Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, Haitian businessman Rodolph Jar, and former Haitian legislator John Joel Joseph have been formally charged with "murders outside the United States. He was accused of "a plot to commit kidnapping and provide physical support." Knowing or intentionally leading to death, knowing or intentionally that such material support will be used in the preparation or execution of a murder or abduction plot.
Palacios
During a court appearance in Miami on April 5, Palacios pleaded guilty to the charges. He doesn't have a trial date yet.
He was transferred from Panama to the United States, where authorities arrested him at an airport on his way to his native Colombia.
Palacios somehow traveled from Haitian to Jamaica, where he was found unidentified. Jamaican authorities took him on a plane to Colombia and stopped in Panama. Authorities then arrested him in October 2021 and charged him with illegal entry.
In an interview with U.S. law enforcement authorities, Palacios said he was hired by a security company to travel to Haitian to provide security and participate in a alleged operation to arrest Moise. rice field. Palacio said he was said to be planning to assassinate the president on July 6, 2021.
Jaar
Jaar pleaded guilty in federal court on July 6. His trial is scheduled to begin on July 18.
He was arrested in January and moved to the Dominican Republic and to the United States on January 19. He is a former US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) informant and has been accused of being a co-conspirator of the assassination program.
Before being arrested in January, Jarre told theNew York Timesthat he helped plan and raise funds for the Moise project. He said he and a large number of suspects, Joseph Felix Badio, kept in touch after the assassinationand slept in the same house a few days after the attack.
Joseph
Former Senator Joseph was arrested in Jamaica in January and charged with illegal entry. He traveled to the island with his wife and two children and later sought asylum. US law enforcement officials demanded his expulsion, and he agreed. He was transferred to Miami on May 6 and charged with the same ferronies as Palacios and Jarre in connection with the assassination. He doesn't have a trial date yet.
The Associated Press reported seeing police reports linking Joseph to the plot. One of the suspects reportedly identified Joseph as one of the leaders. This document describes a WhatsApp conversation between Joseph and James Solage, a Haitian American arrested in Haitian, where the details of the operation were discussed. Solage remains in prison in Haiti.
Some information in this story was provided by Associated Press.