Haiti assassination suspect could be extradited to Miami from Jamaica any day
A Jamaican court cleared the way Thursday for the extradition of a key suspect to Miami in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
Former Haitian Sen. John Joël Joseph, who was arrested in Jamaica earlier this year after months of hiding in Haiti, was being held on an immigration violation charge after illegally entering the English-speaking Caribbean nation with his wife and children. After multiple postponements and court appearances, the one-time politician’s case was finally resolved Thursday when the chief prosecutor decided not to move forward with the case.
Joseph, whose passport shows his last name as John, had waived an extradition court hearing in order to be brought to the United States, where he will most likely be charged in connection with the still unsolved assassination. He would be the third suspect charged in Miami.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Joseph’s expected extradition to Miami. A criminal complaint is expected to charge him with conspiring to provide “material support” in a plot to kill a foreign leader. It would be similar to the case brought against a Colombian commando accused of participating in the deadly attack on the president’s Port-au-Prince suburban home and against a convicted Haitian drug trafficker accused of supplying weapons and other support in that assault last July.
The U.S. has been conducting its own investigation into the killing, under the Justice Department’s expansive view of its criminal jurisdiction. Though the crime happened in Haiti, some of the planning occurred in South Florida, Haitian and U.S. investigators have said.
A Haitian police investigative report obtained by the Herald describes Joseph as playing a key role in the plot — he was allegedly responsible for renting the vehicles used on the night of the murder and hosted meetings at his house before July 7. But Haitian authorities hope he can shed light on the motive behind the killing.
Both the U.S. and Haiti had made requests for Joseph to be handed over. The U.S. request first came up last month as Joseph appeared in court for a fifth time. There was no mention of Haiti’s request, despite confirmation from two senior Haitian government officials that a letter was sent to Kingston requesting that Joseph be turned over to them.
Joseph, his wife and two sons were arrested at a home in rural St. Elizabeth parish in early January. His wife and kids have requested political asylum in Jamaica and are currently appealing a decision not to grant it to them.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 5:38 PM.
