Haiti

Haiti

A judicial crisis erupts in Haiti

 

While Haitian leaders were out of the country, accusations about judicial improprieties led to the firing of a chief prosecutor.

jcharles@MiamiHerald.com

While Haiti President Michel Martelly and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe made the rounds in New York this week, a judicial crisis erupted at home with the firing of a chief prosecutor, the swearing-in of another and an alleged resignation in less than 24 hours.

Former Chief Prosecutor for Port-au-Prince Jean Renel Senatus said Haiti’s Justice Minister Jean Renel Sanon fired him Thursday because he refused to execute an order to arrest 36 government opponents.

Senatus also said that Josue Pierre-Louis, a presidential legal advisor and head of the six-member electoral council, asked him to serve warrants against two attorneys — Newton St. Juste and Andre Michel — who have brought corruption complaints against the presidential family and members of Haiti’s government.

“I told him, ‘No, I don’t have a case against them in my hand,’ ’’ Senatus said. “It’s not democratic. It’s not democracy.”

Senatus said he had previously refused to execute several “illegal’’ arrest orders, including one against prominent human rights lawyer Mario Joseph.

Asked if the president had issued the orders, Senatus said in a telephone interview from Port-au-Prince, that Sanon was responsible but added that Sanon “told me you would make the president happy.”

Senatus spent Friday calling in to Haitian radio stations and blasting Sanon for the “attacks” against him by the justice minister.

In the job for nine months, Senatus was the sixth and longest serving Port-au-Prince chief prosecutor in Martelly’s 17-month presidency. He had earned the nickname “Zokiki,’’ which refers to juvenile delinquency, because of his campaign against underage prostitution and clubbing and men who have sex with underage girls.

Sanon could not be reached for comment. But on Haitian radio he called Senatus a liar and said that he was fired because of insubordination and his failure to produce results.

Several Haitian government spokesmen did not respond to requests for comment on this week’s events.

Senatus said he was informed of his firing by local journalists and found that his replacement had already been named. The replacement, Elco St. Amand, was sworn in late Thursday

But by Friday, St. Amand too was holding a press conference declaring that he was still in the job despite assertions that he had resigned. St. Amand also defended himself against Internet allegations of drug trafficking saying, “If I were a trafficker, why didn’t the United States revoke my visa?”

However, a former government official, who declined to be identified, told The Miami Herald St. Amand was fired in 2001 by Haiti’s justice minister after he was implicated in a drug trafficking scandal.

The firing, said the source, came after much consultation.

Late Friday, text messages were circulating, indicating that yet another new chief prosecutor had been named. The Miami Herald was unable to confirm this.

Sorting out the judicial quagmire is just one of the problems awaiting Martelly and Lamothe when they return from the United Nations General Assembly.

On Friday, thousands of government supporters took to the streets in the city of Gonaives in the Artibonite region in support of Martelly. That followed a day in which thousands of Haitians protested against Martelly in Cap-Haitien.

On Sunday, members of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s Fanmi Lavalas political party are expected to take to the streets with others to protest against government corruption and rising prices. A general strike also has been called in Cap-Haitien on Monday.

Read more Haiti stories from the Miami Herald

  •  

Children wash dishes at the shore of the Madan Belize village on Lake Azuei, near the Haitian/Domincan border. The vast majority of the residents of Madan Belize also drink the brackish waters of Lake Azuei.

    Haiti

    Giving water — the gift of life in Haiti

    With the worst access to safe drinking water in the hemisphere, Haiti is getting help in fixing its dilapidated water network and getting customers back on line.

  •  

CORRECTS FIRST NAME - In this June 8, 2013 photo, bodybuilder Bazile Gordon, right, lifts weights under the watch of his coach before competing at an athletic center in Carrefour, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  This Caribbean country is not renowned for its legions of body builders. Only a handful of gyms exist. Air-conditioned ones are used by the country’s tiny elite and foreign aid workers, and mostly outdoor ones are used by Haitians of modest means.

    Haitian bodybuilders flex muscles in rare contest

    Impoverished Haiti is not renowned for its bodybuilders. Only a handful of gyms exist - air-conditioned ones where the country's tiny elite and foreign aid workers work out, and outdoor ones used mostly by Haitians of modest means.

  • UN condemns eviction of about 150 Haiti families

    The United Nations is condemning the eviction of up to 150 Haitian families living in a makeshift settlement established after a devastating 2010 earthquake.

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category