Haitian presidential security officials fail to appear at court hearing

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Two of the police officials responsible for Haitian presidential security failed to appear Tuesday (13) before a court in Port-au-Prince to testify over their possible connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

Prosecutor Bed-Ford Claude, who is handling the assassination case, confirmed that neither Inspector Amazan Paul Eddy nor Commissioner Jean Laguel, general coordinator of presidential security, appeared at the courthouse.

The inspector-general of the police did not respond to the request of the Prosecutor’s Office to issue the permits that the members of the body need in order to testify, Claude said.

The summons of those responsible for the protection of Moïse aims to clarify the events that occurred on the night of the attack, in which no member of the president’s security detail was injured, according to the information released to date.

Tuesday was to be the second day of statements over the president’s murder, which according to the official version, is attributed to 28 “mercenaries” who shot Moïse along with his wife, Martine, who is recovering in a Miami hospital from the injuries sustained.

In the first court session, held Monday, ex-senators Youri Latortue and Steven Benoît, known opponents of the president, denied any knowledge of or any connection to the event.

Lines at gas stations

In the midst of the crisis, service stations in Port-au-Prince saw long lines of citizens seeking fuel for their vehicles and domestic electricity generators, amid a growing shortage of supplies.

Across the border, the Dominican Republic – the leading exporter of food to Haiti – announced that for “humanitarian reasons” it was resuming exports after it closed its borders as a result of the assassination.

The measure seeks to reduce the possibility that the shortages in Haiti will generate social instability and migratory flows towards the Dominican border, given that “Haitian citizens need Dominican agricultural and agro-industrial products” to cover their needs, informed the National Palace in a communiqué.

Over the past week, Dominican authorities allowed small groups of Haitians to cross the northern border through the Masacre river, near the municipality of Dajabon, to buy food. Since Monday, they have allowed the passage of tanker trucks carrying natural gas, a fuel that Haiti imports through Dominican ports.

Pending elections

From abroad there has also been a push for elections to be held in Haiti before the end of the year, with a view to guaranteeing stability in the Caribbean nation, wracked by a political, economic and security crisis.

Canada on Tuesday conveyed to Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph the need to initiate “dialogue with all parties to develop a credible plan for the Haitian government to hold elections by the end of the year.”

The Moïse government planned to hold them in September, coinciding with a referendum to approve a new constitution, an endeavor that never gained the approval of the opposition.

The United States has already urged “constructive dialogue” in Haiti to achieve “free and fair elections” this year, and to overcome the crisis triggered by the assassination of the president.

With this goal in mind, it sent a delegation which met with acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry, and Senate President Joseph Lambert, all of whom are competing for power in the aftermath of the assassination.