4 suspects in killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse charged and in U.S. custody

Four of the main suspects in the murder of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse have been transferred to the United States for prosecution.

Suspects currently in U.S. government custody include James Solage, 37, and Joseph Vincent, 57. The two Haitian-Americans were among the first to be arrested after Moise was shot 12 times in a private home near the capital Port-au-Prince. July 7, 2021.

Also indicted is Christian Emmanuel Sannon, an elderly pastor, doctor and failed businessman, whom authorities have identified as a key figure. His associates believe he was duped by the real and still unidentified mastermind behind the assassination that plunged Haiti deep into political turmoil and unleashed a level of gang violence not seen in decades. It suggests that

A fourth suspect was identified as Colombian citizen German Rivera Garcia, 44, one of nearly 20 former Colombian soldiers charged in the case.

Rivera, along with Solage and Vincent, are charged with conspiring to commit murder and kidnapping outside the United States and providing material assistance and resources to their deaths, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Haiti judge fears taking case

Sanon is charged with conspiring to smuggle goods out of the United States and providing illegal export information. According to court documents, he shipped 20 of his ballistic vests to Haiti, describing the items as “medical X-ray vests and school supplies.”

It was not immediately clear if the four suspects had lawyers available to comment on this development. The man is scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami on Wednesday.

About a year after the killings, U.S. officials said they interviewed and agreed to speak to Solage, Vincent, and Rivera, who were detained in Haiti.

A total of seven suspects in the case are currently in custody in the United States. Haiti’s main prisons, which are extremely overcrowded, are still plagued by dozens of prisoners and often lack food and water for inmates.

The case has reached a virtual stalemate in Haiti, where local authorities last year named a fifth judge to investigate the killing after four others were fired or resigned for personal reasons.

A judge told the Associated Press that his family asked him not to file a lawsuit because his life was in danger. Another judge resigned after one of his assistants died in dark circumstances.

Listen | On Canada’s responsibility to Haiti, former Governor-General Michael Jean said:

Another suspect already in U.S. custody is former U.S. government informant and Haitian businessman Rodolphe Jarre, who was extradited from the Dominican Republic in January 2022.

That same month, US authorities arrested Mario Antonio Palacios, a former Colombian soldier who had been deported after fleeing Haiti to Jamaica. En route to Colombia, he was detained by US authorities in Panama while in transit.

Also, in January 2022, Authorities Arrest Former Haitian Senator John Joel Josephalso fled to Jamaica.

It is unknown when the trial period will be

Alfredo Izaguirre, a Miami-based attorney for Palacios, said the arrival of four other suspects on Tuesday means the trial will be postponed because they must all be tried at the same time. Palacios said he was ready to start his trial in early March, but it could now be postponed for up to four months.

Haitian police say other high-profile suspects are on the run, including a former Supreme Court judge who officials say supported the originally planned seizure of power from Moise instead of Sannon. ing. Another fugitive is the alleged mastermind Joseph Badio, who previously worked for Haiti’s Ministry of Justice and the government’s anti-corruption department, but he was fired, police say.

Emmanuel Gentil, a lawyer for the president’s widow Martine Moise, who was injured in the attack and flown to the United States for treatment, did not return a message for comment on Tuesday.